Shades Of Red
by crypticnotions
Summary: During Shawn and Angela's break-up, Angela meets a guy who becomes a stalker. Will she turn to Shawn for the help she needs? COMPLETED. Stay tuned for the sequel, "Blue Hues".
1. Default Chapter

Story: Shades Of Red  
  
Author: crypticnotions  
  
Archive: heck, I don't care, just tell me.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the character's from Boy Meets World.....I do own Sera, Marcus, his friends/buddies and anyone not associated with the series.  
  
Summary: During Angela and Shawn's break-up, Angela meets up with the wrong guy who starts to stalk her. No one seems to be able to know what to do. Will she turn to Shawn for help or will her hurt and pride overrule her danger?   
  
A/N: I'm a huge Angela fan. Sorry guys, but some of the other characters won't get as much story time. Trust me they will be in here, but not as much as Angela. The main characters are Shawn, Cory, Topanga and Angela.   
  
Also, unfortunately, I don't have the luxury of grammar check on this computer so please bear with me in that department.  
  
Angela sighed as she hoisted her backpack onto her shoulders. Her brown eyes were tired from all the stress of keeping up a front. Only Cory knew of her secret and keeping it from everyone else was starting to become a chore. Because she had been out on that date with Ron, everyone figured she was ready to move on. Ever since then, everybody was trying to set her up. She'd even been out with a few of Topanga's choices before she had had to ask her friend to stop setting her up.   
  
She trudged to the library and picked up a few books. This was going to be a long and boring weekend. She had two papers due and she had promised Sera that she would come to her party tonight. She blew out a breath and nearly bumped into Topanga.  
  
"Angela! I thought I might find you here." Her friend beamed.  
  
Angela mustered up a smile. "Yeah, looks like these reports are going to be kicking me in the butt and I'm supposed to be going to a party tonight."  
  
"Oh. I thought you might join me, Cory, and Shawn for a movie tonight," Topanga said sadly.   
  
"I'm sorry, girl. I promised Sera I would come to her party. You know how she is. She gets really upset if you don't show up." Angela shrugged.  
  
"No, I wouldn't know since I've never been invited to one of her parties." Topanga's face formed a frown before taking note of her friend's face. She hastily covered it up. "Not that it matters."  
  
"Oh, Topanga, I didn't know. I thought she invited everyone in our class." She gave her best friend a squeeze on the shoulder.  
  
Topanga held a hand up. "No, no, it's okay." Her smile returned. "You just have fun. You've been looking too stressed lately."  
  
"That noticeable?"   
  
"Yeah, but don't worry. Maybe you'll meet some guys." She wriggled her eyebrows.  
  
Angela laughed a little. "I have too much to worry about right now."  
  
Topanga smiled before looking at her watch. "I better get going. Cory told me he was going to surprise me tonight. You know I have to get there before he does something I don't like." They both laughed.   
  
"Okay, I'll call you tonight after the party."   
  
"All right. I'll tell Shawn and Cory you're taking a rain check."   
  
Angela nodded and the two parted ways.  
  
Angela struggled to stay awake as she finished typing the first draft to one of her papers. She was so tired. She wished she had taken the option of going to the movies with the group. She didn't feel much like partying. She glanced at the clock on the wall and stood up to stretch. It was fifteen minutes before nine. She walked to her closet and looked inside. She should have asked Topanga if she could raid her closet. They were probably gone by now.   
  
Her mind wandered to Shawn. They had been avoiding each other more lately. The tension between them was mounting, yet she still found that she loved him. She shook her head. She couldn't love him. The secret she could tell no one. Love wasn't real. Of course Topanga thought it was and told her how much the Matthews and her family loved each other. Topanga just didn't understand. She didn't come from such a loving family like Topanga. Yeah, her father loved her and he had shown her that every time he could, but with his military schedule, that wasn't much.   
  
Her thoughts returned to Shawn. He had given her a look today in class that she couldn't quite make out. It almost looked loving. She unconsciously shook her head. No. It couldn't be. Not after he had made it clear that he didn't love her like that anymore. She needed to move on. Maybe she should meet up with some guy at the party. The last words snapped her back to attention and she glanced at the clock.   
  
She murmured to herself. She had just daydreamed for ten minutes. It was okay to be fashionably late, but still...No one wanted to be the last person to arrive at a party.   
  
She rushed around the room grabbing a silver halter, some old leather pants and a hat. That would have to do. A few bracelets and a necklace and she was half way out of the door. With a grab of her keys, she was out for the night.   
  
The music blasted through out the club. Sera was a rich daddy's girl who got what she wanted. When she asked for a party at the hottest club, she got it with all the trimmings.   
  
The base was a bit much for Angela as she felt it vibrating in her chest. The lights were brighter then most clubs since most of the actual celebrating wasn't supposed to start until after twelve. She nodded her head as a song she liked came on. She still had to check her first paper and write her next paper and she hoped to get most of it done before Sunday.   
  
She walked around feeling out of place. She was used to Topanga, Cory or at least Rachel and Jack being somewhere near. She found a seat in the corner and sat down. She was glad she had remembered to wear flat shoes. Heals would have been murder on her feet right now.   
  
Angela took in the scene as people with obvious power swarmed the place. Even the lights screamed of how rich the people were. She wasn't quite sure why she had even been invited.   
  
After a few more minutes and a couple of stares she grabbed her purse for a quick visit to the restroom.  
  
She took her place in the line for a make-up check at the mirrors as Sera walked up to her.   
  
She was everything Topanga was not. She was tall, black haired and snooty.   
  
"Well, Angela, glad you could make it," she said while gesturing with her lipstick.  
  
"Yeah. Great party." Angela stood beside Sera in front of the mirror as everyone waited impatiently behind them.  
  
"Really? I haven't seen you mingling."  
  
"Well, you know, this isn't exactly my scene right now."  
  
"Oh yeah, I forgot you hang out with goof boy and his girlfriend."  
  
Angela glared her out of the corner of her eye.  
  
"So what's up with you and Shawn? I've been seeing him give you looks in class."  
  
A nervous look crossed Angela's face. She hadn't even discussed her feelings with Topanga, she wasn't about to share them with the big-mouth on campus. "Nothing. We're still apart."  
  
"Great." Sera snapped the lipstick top on and threw it inside her purse. "I want you to meet my cousin, Marcus."   
  
She practically dragged Angela out of the bathroom.   
  
Angela felt uneasy as Sera led her through the crowd. The girl had grabbed her hand so fast she couldn't protest.  
  
Faces swam by as they weaved through people. Sera finally stopped at a table with a group of guys huddled around a car magazine.  
  
"Hey, guys do you know where Marcus went?"  
  
A guy raised a questioning look towards Angela as if he knew something she didn't.   
  
"He went to the second floor to chill with your dad."  
  
"Okay, thanks guys."   
  
Sera rolled her eyes. "He thinks he's buddy buddy with my dad."  
  
"You know, that's okay. I don't really have to meet him." Angela tried to pull from Sera's grasp.  
  
Sera smiled. "Of course you do. Besides, this is both of our parties and he made me promise him that I would invite you."  
  
Angela's head cleared up. Well that explained why she had been invited, but then her head fogged over again. How did he know her?   
  
Almost, as if reading her mind, Sera replied, "He saw you at some football game. Said you were a hottie."   
  
Angela looked shocked. She was starting to feel creeped out. What kind of person would invite someone because they thought they looked hot? She thought of Eric and Jack and rephrased that. Who would invite someone to a party like THIS just because they thought someone looked hot? If he was really in this family, he could probably get any girl he wanted just by looking at them.   
  
Sera continued to pull Angela along until they reached a gold-plated elevator. The two stepped on and the doors closed with a slight ding. Angela couldn't shake the nervous anxiety down. It was as if her conscious was telling her something, but she was wrestling it down.  
  
The elevator whizzed smoothly to the second floor and Angela gasped as she stepped out. The club was amazing, but this was more than that.   
  
Crystal sculptures lined the hall and the plush velvet carpet shone. Angela almost felt bad walking on it.  
  
"Is this your family's club?"  
  
"Naw, but my dad is friends with the guy who does own it. No one comes up here but special guests. It's pretty much hidden."  
  
Angela looked at the art on display as she followed Sera. Topanga and Rachel would die if they could see this place. And Shawn would love the art. She almost sighed. She was thinking of Shawn while she was about to meet another guy. She thought to herself 'Classic, Angela, classic'. She hoped one day she would look back at this and laugh.  
  
Sera took out a card much like the cards issued at hotels. She swiped it through a machine and the doors opened. Angela looked to see two guys chatting. She noticed an older man wearing a suit and speaking through a cell phone while another wore a golf shirt. She almost raised an eyebrow. A guy like this would be interested in her?  
  
"Is that Marcus?" She whispered so that Sera's dad wouldn't be interrupted.  
  
Sera laughed loudly. "No, that's, Kenny, Marcus' brother. Marcus is probably in the back room playing pool."   
  
Sera waved at her father as the two walked through. He nodded at the girls while picking up some papers from a desk. It was obvious he had made the room his temporary office. Kenny nodded as well.  
  
The two continued their walk finally reaching a room with glass doors. Angela's awe had worn off and her brain was telling her to run. She shrugged the feeling off and entered the room behind Sera.   
  
A guy turned to face them after he missed his shot because of the intrusion. He turned around angrily. "Damn, how many times have I..." His words drifted away as he caught Angela's presence.   
  
Sera rolled her eyes. He had been thinking of this girl too much if he was so stricken like that. Her father always said that Marcus obsessed too much.   
  
Sera looked at Angela and saw doubt. She didn't blame her really. Marcus was a tall man, like everyone in her family. He was blonde though and he had menacing gray eyes. Ones that pierced through someone's soul and made them feel intimidated. He was also very strong. Because of this, he usually got his way. Not that she didn't too, but he used intimidation. She just used her daddy. But Marcus, well he got violent if he didn't get his way. He had hurt people in the past. She shuddered. He had even waved a gun in her dad's face. He had said that he had conquered his problem in anger management and her father had given him a job. But for to be only 23, he was very demanding.   
  
"Uh, Angela, this is Marcus. Marcus, Angela."  
  
Angela mustered a smile and shook his hand. She felt that uneasiness increasing.   
  
"Hey, Angela. Want to shoot some pool?" His whole manner had changed from angry to charming.   
  
Angela looked at her watch. It was after twelve. She really needed some rest if she was going to crank out those papers before tomorrow.   
  
"No. I think I need to leave. I have some papers due next week."  
  
He motioned for Sera to leave with his eyes. The object of his thoughts was here and he wanted time alone with her. "How about I walk you down?"  
  
Angela smiled. "Sure, why not?"  
  
Sera was about to head out with them when she caught her cousin's eyes blazing. She recognized the threat in them. "Um, I think I'll see how daddy's doing."  
  
"Okay, bye Sera. Thanks for inviting me." Angela said not wanting to be alone with this guy. She wasn't shaking off this feeling and that was scaring her. She figured the club was so packed that it wouldn't matter.   
  
They exited the main room and rode down silently in the elevator.   
  
The walk through the crowd was annoying but they made it to the parking lot. Another friend of Angela's had let Angela borrow her car.  
  
"Well, thanks for walking me." She smiled. He looked at her intensely.  
  
"How about you and me going out, sometimes?"   
  
"I don't know." She looked at the ground. "I'm just getting out of a relationship."   
  
"So that means no?" She noticed the rise in his voice.  
  
"Yeah, I mean I'm sure you're great, it's just me." She reached for the door. This conversation wasn't going well.  
  
He slammed the door shut and grabbed her roughly. He pushed her into the car and grabbed her shoulders as he leaned in for a brutal kiss stuffing his tongue down her throat. She gagged as he felt her up.   
  
She tried to scream, but his mouth held firm and his hands began bruising her with their grip. She pushed on his hands but it didn't help. She did the only thing she knew left to do.   
  
A firm kick and Marcus was on the ground cursing. Angela, forced herself not to panic as she quickly opened the door and started the engine while he struggled to stand up. She backed away fast hoping she didn't tear the car apart even though she thought that might be the least of her problems at the present moment.   
  
He stood as she was driving away. "You're going to regret that, you BITCH." He screamed and ran as her foot hit the gas.   
  
He winced to himself. He just wanted to go out with her, now he was not only going to have her but he was going to get her back. The bitch might have made it so he couldn't have kids. She was a feisty one. His frown turned into a sly grin. If she thought it was over, she was highly mistaken.   
  
Angela drove stunned as her body shook. She decided not to tell anyone what had happened. That would be her first mistake. 


	2. Rose Red

Disclaimer: on the first page  
  
A/N: sorry there are no breaks in the first chapter. I wrote breaks in it but it didn't transfer when I loaded it. Also, this chapter is written late and once again, this computer lacks grammar check, so if you see any glaring grammar mistakes, it's perfectly fine to point them out.   
  
Chapter 2: Rose Red  
  
*****  
  
Angela jumped as the phone rang. She wished Topanga had come home last night. She didn't feel like being alone.   
  
3:43 am, the digital night clock glowed. She sighed and picked up the phone. Only one person would call this late.  
  
"Topanga?" her voice was riddled with sleep.   
  
"Angela, where have you been? You didn't call me like you said you would. I thought something had happened to you," Topanga said in a scolding tone.  
  
'You have no idea' is what Angela wanted to say, but she could hear the worry in her friend's voice. "Sorry, I got back around one and worked on my paper and did some thinking, then I went to bed. Guess I forgot," she lied.   
  
"Well, okay. I'm going to stay here tonight. See you tomorrow."  
  
"Okay, bye."  
  
Angela really wished Cory had stayed in his dorm today, then she could just go across the hall.   
  
She sighed. She really needed to think about things. He had said she would regret it. Coming from anyone else it might not seem like a big deal, but she had an idea that he might mean it.  
  
He had met her at a football game Sera said. She tried to think back. Maybe, just maybe she could remember him.   
  
She rubbed her temples. His face just was not coming to her. And those eyes. Well. she certainly would have noticed them, right? She knew the answer. Anytime she was around Shawn, she spent all the time thinking about him or rather, trying not to think of him. A stranger could easily bump into her or even hold a conversation with her with out her remembering. Sometimes it didn't matter when her mind was pre-occupied.   
  
She looked at the clock again. It was no need of trying to think of this now. Besides, she had the rest of the weekend to think about it. On Monday, she would meet up with Sera in class again and then who knew what would happen?   
  
She rested back on her pillow and let the sleep re-claim her.   
  
*****  
  
Sweat poured from Topanga and Angela's bodies as they kept pace on their parallel treadmills.   
  
Both girls soon slowed and grabbed their towels and water bottles. Topanga couldn't help but notice that Angela wasn't acting like her normal cheerful self.  
  
"You okay?" Topanga paused to take a sip of the cool liquid.   
  
"Yeah, just tired, I guess. Where's Rachel at? I thought she was going to join us." Angela avoided eye contact as they walked out of the campus gym.  
  
"I guess her and Jack did something together." Topanga looked closely at her friend. She was avoiding something.  
  
"Angela?"  
  
"Yeah?" Irritation lined Angela's voice.  
  
"What's wrong?"   
  
"Nothing, okay!"  
  
"Okay," Topanga replied silently.   
  
"Oh, look," Angela turned towards her friend. "I know you're concerned about me since me and Shawn broke up, but there's no need to worry about me. I'm sorry I snapped at you." She forced a smile.  
  
Topanga wasn't quite convinced, but she let it slide. She had no reason to doubt her friend. If she said she was okay then she must be okay.   
  
"It's okay. Don't worry about it. Did you get your papers done, yet?"  
  
"Almost." They both walked slowly to their dorm. "I have a few things left to tie up."  
  
Topanga nodded. "How about you join us for brunch tomorrow?"   
  
Angela tossed it through her mind.   
  
"I'm not asking you to go to Europe, silly, just have some food with us."  
  
"I do need to just relax some." Angela mulled it over. "Okay."   
  
"Great! I already told Cory you were going to join us anyway. I figured you would say yes." Angela tried to comment. She, by all means, didn't like being predictable. "He's worried about you."  
  
The comment faded and Angela smiled. It was just like them to get so worked up about something so simple. It almost made her forget the events of last night. Almost. "You guys worry for no reason." She had said the words, but she wasn't sure if she believed them.  
  
"We care about you." They walked into the building and headed for their room. "Can I take a shower, first. I promised Cory I'd help him with his paper so I need to hurry."  
  
"Sure."   
  
*****  
  
The smell of food swirled around the foursome. Waiters dashed between tables shuffling trays of eggs, steaks and waffles.   
  
"Lookie, lookie" Cory smiled at Angela and Shawn. He was remarking about them sitting on the same side of the table. Topanga rolled her eyes. Cory had purposely arranged for them to have to sit together. Angela was gritting her teeth while looking at the menu. Shawn gave Topanga a look.  
  
She gave a quick elbow to Cory. "How about me and you switch, Shawn?"  
  
"What a great idea." Shawn stated sarcastically. He didn't like situations like this. Angela's hand had accidentally grazed his. Well, he had actually done the grazing. Her hands were as smooth and soft as ever. But something was wrong. He could see it in her eyes.  
  
An awkward silence settled over the group while the two changed seats. The silence continued until a perky waitress showed up.   
  
"Can I take your order?" Her eyes sparkled and she seemed way too happy.  
  
The group ordered their food and soon conversation was started.  
  
"So, a lot of work is being dished out lately, isn't it?" Shawn directed his question to Angela. He willed for her to look at him.  
  
"Yeah, seems Feeny hasn't gotten better since highschool. You'd think all that extra fiber in his system would let him be more loose, if you get what I mean." Cory joked.  
  
Shawn hid his slight annoyance at his friend. He loved Cory, always would, but the real reason he had agreed to come with them was to see how Angela was. She had been on his mind a lot lately.  
  
"Mr. Feeny is just trying to push us to be our best." Topanga knew Shawn's motives even though he was trying to be subtle. "Tell them what you're writing about Angela. You and Shawn are the writers anyway."  
  
"It's nothing really."   
  
"Of course it's something. Angela always writes good papers."   
  
"I know." Shawn spoke before he realized what he was doing.   
  
Angela looked up at him. The awkwardness returned.   
  
The waitress sauntered up to the table and dished the food out. All of them were grateful.   
  
******  
  
"Was that awkward or what?" Topanga grabbed her mail out of the slot.  
  
"Was what awkward?" Angela said while reaching into her box to grab her mail as well.  
  
"Oh, come on Angela, that was weird for a group of friends to be that silent.  
  
"Not really, could have been worse. We could have had Eric come in and jump on the table like he did that time we went to that little cafe."   
  
Topanga laughed. "Is something going on between you and Shawn? I've never seen you both so quiet, yet you both seemed interested in what the other might say."   
  
Angela didn't look at Topanga. "I don't know what you mean," she lied.   
  
"Yeah, you do, but you're not ready to face it." Topanga's voice sounded a bit harsh.  
  
"Look, Topanga I don't want to talk about this." She walked away. She just didn't feel like going over this again.  
  
"That's your problem, you never want to talk about it," Topanga murmured after Angela was gone.   
  
*****  
  
Topanga was pushing the line lately. Yes, they were best friends, but some things you don't even mention to your best friend. Some things you want, no need, to keep to yourself. Besides, she wouldn't be able to explain it anyway. She rounded the corner.   
  
Something red caught her eye from far away. It was leaning against her and Topanga's door. She quickened her pace and noticed they were roses. Angela saw the flowers and smiled. They were probably from Ron or maybe, she crossed her fingers, from Shawn. Or maybe they were roses from Cory. Him and Topanga were always giving each other something.  
  
She picked up the flowers and inhaled. There was a card underneath the crystal vase. Her name was in brilliant red letters. Typed. That was odd. Her mind still didn't trigger anything. She walked inside still sniffing the gorgeous flowers.   
  
She set the flowers down and looked at the envelope again before gently tugging on the card to liberate it from its covering.   
  
It was a homemade card. Very sincere. She opened the two flaps of paper and backed into the vase sending it crashing to the ground. She heard Topanga gasp behind her and slammed the card into her dresser before her friend could see it.  
  
"What happened?" she asked from the door.  
  
"I dropped the vase." Angela tried to force the fear in her voice into a sound of surprise.   
  
Topanga entered the room completely and noticed the extent of the mess.   
  
"Awww, looks like your flowers are ruined. Let me go get a mop and help you clean this up." Topanga scurried out of the room to retrieve the mop.   
  
Before she could return, Angela took another quick glimpse at the note she had hidden. This wasn't good.   
  
A/N: Thanks to those of you who reviewed. I appreciate it a lot. : )   
  
The next chapter should get more interesting. It will also explain what the note said so stay tuned. ; ) Also, Angela isn't clueless (even though things seem to be registering a bit slow right now)...but I think it would be hard without seeing that person to notice at first that you are being stalked. 


	3. Wine Red

Disclaimer: On the first page, but once again I don't own any of the BMW characters.  
  
A/N: Thanks for the reviews guys. It means a lot. : D   
  
Also, I want to say that in this story Jack and Rachel aren't going out but they are interested in each other. Also, I don't think the group spent that much time away from the campus/lounge in the show. I've created a few new places for them to hang. Regular college students spend more time away from campus even if they live there.   
  
Also, Cory and Topanga are aware that both, Angela and Shawn like each other, but it is like in the show where Topanga secretly knows Shawn loves Angela and Cory secretly knows Angela loves Shawn. This is before they accidently swap that info. It's just that their emotions are playing out for people to see.   
  
Chapter 3: Wine Red   
  
*****  
  
Cory and Topanga sat in lounge chairs at Barters Books and Cafe. The two watched as Shawn collected money from yet another sucker playing him at pool. He stuffed the money in his pocket and his smile returned as another guy stepped up to play him.  
  
This was their favorite place outside of the campus. It was a giant old bookstore that had added a cafe, a small arcade, a pool table and a stage. The group spent their time here listening to spoken word, local bands and catching the latest books.   
  
The chairs were red and the walls were painted a fading midnight black. Cory went to refill his cup of coffee at the silver bar and sat down at their favorite table.   
  
Cory looked at Topanga as she skimmed a classic. He continued to stare until she lowered the book to the table. "What?"  
  
"You are so beautiful."  
  
Topanga smiled, but tried to act slightly annoyed. "You interrupted my reading to tell me I look beautiful?"  
  
"Yeah, but I want to ask you something else too." He whispered before looking over at Shawn. He saw his friend sticking his tongue out in concentration as he hit another ball into the side pocket.   
  
Topanga saw the worry in his eyes. "What? Is something wrong, honey?"  
  
"Well, I don't know, but have you noticed Angela acting a little paranoid lately?"   
  
"Actually, I have. Ever since she went to that party, she's been kind of jumpy."  
  
"Anything else?"  
  
"Hmm, she didn't seem that happy to get those flowers. I mean most girls love to get flowers. I didn't take it as odd until yesterday in class. I overhead the end of her and Sera having a conversation about the flowers after class and she seemed to look sick afterwards. I just assumed they had gotten into an arguement. When I asked her about it, she said it was nothing."   
  
"Yeah," Cory nodded, "And I asked her why she seemed to always be looking over her shoulder, lately, and you know what she told me?"  
  
Topanga shook her head.  
  
"She told me it was none of my business. I can't believe that after what we've been through, becoming friends and all, she actually told me that. Something is wrong."  
  
Topanga thought for a second. "I wonder if she's dicussed it with Rachel or maybe she discussed it with Shawn."  
  
"She would never do that!" Cory exclaimed.  
  
Topanga eyed him suspiciously. "Why not? Just because they aren't together doesn't mean they don't talk to each other."   
  
"Of course not. What I mean is that whatever she is going through, I'm sure she would tell you first." He shrugged nervously. "After all, she is your best friend."  
  
"Something you're not telling me, Cory Matthews." Topanga cupped his chin from across the table. "Spill it."  
  
"It's nothing."   
  
She gave him a look of disbelief. No way was she buying that excuse.  
  
"Look, I don't feel comfortable discussing it." Topanga released his chin and shook her head.  
  
"Okay," she sighed.  
  
"Getting back to the subject," he said quickly, "I think you should try to talk to her. I'm concerned."  
  
"Concerned about who?" Shawn said stuffing the last of his winnings in his pocket. He joined the two at the table.   
  
"Concerned about you stealing all these good people's money," Cory said jokingly.   
  
"Well, I am the best. They wager, all I do is be myself."   
  
"Well, let's go be our "selves" at home. I've got a test tommorrow." Topanga said grabbing her coat and standing.   
  
They left for the campus.   
  
*****  
  
Angela looked around the library nervously. She could feel the sweat sticking to her skin. She bit her lip. She would love to say she was paranoid, but she didn't feel she was.   
  
Since she'd gotten the flowers, she had gotten two more notes.   
  
She opened her backpack and pulled the card from the envelope. It was the first note.   
  
She read the words again, biting back anger and fear. She had never felt such an intense feeling of both, especially not at the same time.   
  
She read the words over and over again. "I want to thank you for such a good time last night. That kiss was amazing. I can tell we have chemistry. I look forward to our next date. Hope you love the roses, they're the same shade as a dress I saw that you would look great in. A form fitting, knee-length, strapless little dittie. In fact, I may just buy it for you. Maybe we can take in some wine and dancing. Love you always."   
  
Angela scowled. If it wasn't so threatening in it's self she would have laughed. It was such a cheesy note, but the fact that this guy had forced her to kiss him made the note chilling.   
  
And Date? He thought that was a date? He had felt her up and left bruises. Bruises that still hurt. And no matter how much she tried, she could not get the feel of his slimy lips grinding against hers. She shuddered. That could hardly qualify as a dinner and a movie.  
  
The first thing she had done after cleaning the flowers up was go to student security. The guy only remembered a messenger and even then he couldn't remember a face. She had foolishly showed him the note and he had raised his eyebrows and looked her over in a demeaning way. If she hadn't have been so scared, she would have slapped him.   
  
She had ignored it and figured she would ask someone who might know something. Sera.  
  
The talk with Sera had frightened her more. Sera had told her that Marcus was looking forward to their date. But she said he hadn't sent her flowers. She knew he had, but had no way of proving it. And Sera was so positive that they had set up a date.   
  
She shook her head. This was getting to be too much and now Topanga and Cory were hounded her for answers. They thought her behavior was odd. If only they knew. The only one not in her affairs was Shawn.  
  
She sighed at the thought of his name. If only she had told Shawn she didn't want to break up with him, maybe this mess wouldn't be.   
  
Angela shifted the books in front of her. She had a test tommorrow, but she had decided to look into some things on her own. She opened a notebook and the law book beside her.   
  
Uncapping a black pen, she jotted down notes.  
  
*****  
  
John followed the girl as she walked around campus. The night sky gave him cover and the football game made him able to sneak around without being noticed.   
  
Marcus was in a tizzy about this girl.   
  
He growled lowly to himself as the girl went beyond the range of his camera.   
  
He owed Marcus. He worked for Marcus' uncle. A year ago, he'd been caught stealing, Marcus had set him up. He had also saved him from being prosecuted. Now he was indebted to the creep.   
  
Marcus' new obsession was this girl. Some random girl his cousin had introduced him to at a football game. He rolled his eyes. He would have flat out refused this stupid cat and mouse game he was playing with her if his own survival wasn't important. He was safe from being prosecuted, but he could easily lose his job and with a new baby on the way, he simply couldn't afford the money loss.   
  
Yeah, the girl was pretty, heck he'd have asked her out, but this was ridiculous. He was following this girl around the school just to take some dinky photos of her.   
  
Marcus had been so mad that night after the party. He'd cursed and slammed his fist into the wall. He had demanded to know everything about her. He wasn't used to people telling him no. He never needed to be with his intimidation tactics. And the girls always fell at his feet. For some reason, he only wanted this girl and frankly, John was scared for her.   
  
Marcus could be deadly when obsessed and he hadn't seen him this obsessed since...well, actually he'd NEVER seen him this obsessed.  
  
She finally came into range and he snapped a few pictures of her sipping a drink. When he was satisfied that he'd had enough pictures to satisfy Marcus he left. He walked around a few corners, went around a building and jumped inside the car.   
  
The driver, Anthony, nodded at him. "You get the pics, man?"  
  
"Yep, let's roll." He flicked a match and lit a cigarette as they drove off.   
  
*****  
  
A/N: There will be some interaction with Rachel, Jack and Eric in either the next chapter or the next two chapters......Also the next chapter is named Fire Red......things will heat up to say the least ; )  
  
Also, this guy is kind of nutso to say the least. You can blame Lifetime Television for it. If it wasn't for all those stalker movies, I wouldn't have made him this crazy. : p 


	4. Fire Red

Disclaimer: Don't own any of the BMW people.   
  
A/N: Once again thanks for the reviews. I'm glad that you guys are enjoy it. I wasn't sure there were any Angela fans around. = ) This chapter deals a bit with mr. antagonist himself, Marcus.   
  
~ ~ ~ ~: indicates a flashback \\\\: indicates a dream  
  
Chapter 3: Fire Red  
  
*****  
  
Marcus turned stifly in his burgundy chair. He was trying to focus on business, but he was pre-occupied.   
  
His cousin, Sera, had come in begging him not to hurt her classmate. He told her he had no intentions to, but he knew his wenchy little cousin knew better. They both knew how he acted when he didn't get his way.  
  
The two of them didn't get along at all. He was the "bitter" one she said. Mad because his daddy had gotten locked up at the tender age of three. His mother, God rest her soul, had succumb to cancer three years later. He had moved in with Sera and her family, along with his brother, Kenny. Kenny was one everyone loved. The family had fallen in love with his brother immediately. Marcus knew then that he would have to fight for everything he wanted. And that was what he was doing now.   
  
His thoughts wondered to Angela. Angela Moore was a simple girl. Pretty eyes, smooth skin, tight figure, shoot, she was a hottie in every right, but there was something more to her.   
  
He could remember when he first met her.   
  
~ ~ ~ ~  
  
It had been a cold night. The kind of night where one's breath would come out in short, curling masses of steam. The kind of night where noses were red and three layers of clothing seemed to be a requirement. In other words, it was the dead of winter in Pennsylvania.   
  
He had had an awful day. Earlier that day, he was suppose to meet with some buyers, but their planes had been delayed. He wouldn't have been so upset, but his cell phone had died on the way to work. His tire had flattened and he had rushed to a convenience store nearly five miles from his car just to make it in time for the meeting.   
  
To top all of that, his girlfriend had broken it off the night before. He couldn't think of a worse day.   
  
He had nearly burst a blood vessel when his cousin scooted her snooty little behind in to demand he take her to a football game. He knew she was scared of him by the way she had looked at him. He had almost played up on it when she used her only way of getting to him. Her Daddy. He had gritted his teeth and agreed.   
  
That night he found himself surrounded by Sera and her gigling moronic friends. There had been a few girls kidnapped in the area and her dad had refused to let her go by herself, so he actually had to endure the whole game with them.   
  
They had rushed him in to watch their pitiful team get knocked around. The truth was the girls could care less about the game. They had just come to check out the guys in their uniforms.  
  
Marcus grumbled through the game and snuggled into the coat he wore. He was about to leave when Sera announced that they were going to leave for a party. He was invited. 'Oh, Joy', he stiffled a groan, but followed them to wait outside of the bathroom while they freshened up.   
  
He stood impatiently outside. He could have found himself having a good time at the college. The people looked alright around here, but his cousin was dampening the fun.   
  
He saw her talk to her friends. They disappeared and she walked towards him. On her way towards him, four people stopped her and she conversed with them briefly. She had then looked up and motioned for him to join her. He had cursed under his breath. She was treating him like a servant and he was going to let her know, friends or no friends, nobody treated Marcus like cheap scum.   
  
He walked over to her and nearly opened his mouth when he noticed two hot girls and the two dorky guys with them.   
  
"Hey, guys, this is Marcus, my cousin. This is Shawn, Cory, Topanga and Angela."   
  
They all shook hands, but he found himself holding Angela's hand longer. She smiled at him. She had this little smile where her eyes seemed to sparkled and her hands were so soft. He didn't know why he was drawn to her, but she was certainly captivating.   
  
"We're going to the party, how about you guys?" The curly headed boy had spoken.  
  
"Yeah, we're going. We're just waiting for Kelsey and Steffanie."  
  
"Okay, see you guys." That was the other guy. Right then, he noticed how Angela had looked at the guy. He felt jealousy flow into his heart. 'He must be her boyfriend', he had thought bitterly.   
  
The group walked away and his cousin looked at him. "You feeling Angela, huh?"  
  
He hadn't said anything. He was angry that he was so transparent.   
  
"She's free, you know?" He looked at her as if he hadn't heard her correctly.   
  
"That isn't her boyfriend?"   
  
"Who, Shawn? Naw, that's her ex. They broke up about a month or two ago."   
  
"Are you sure? It looked like she was giving him the "look".   
  
Kelsey and Steffanie had shown up before the conversation had gotten any further. He would just have to find out more about this girl.   
  
He had hoped to find her at the party, but his cousin was falling-out-of-her-seat drunk within the first half an hour. He knew her daddy would flip if his "princess" were to get in trouble; so he had grumbled and threw her vomitting tail in the back seat and sped off to get her sober. He vowed he'd get to know this Angela better.   
  
~ ~ ~ ~  
  
He turned in his chair again. He was getting to this girl. His cousin had said that she'd talked with Angela. Angela was apparently a bit frightened of him. If only she knew she had nothing to worry about. He would treat her like the queen she deserved to be, if only she'd give him a chance.   
  
He admitted that he shouldn't have kissed her that night at Sera's party. She had told him she wasn't ready. But then, she'd totally dismissed him. His very manhood was being rejected. He'd felt the burning in him then. He'd been rejected for a long time. Rejected by his family, rejected by his peers, rejected by his so-called friends. He couldn't believe the girl of his dreams was rejecting him too. He bit his lip. Sera had said she didn't even remember him from the game. That had made him even angrier. Of course, she remembered him. She loved him. He knew she did. She would have never smiled like that to anyone else, but him. He had seen her trying to seduce him with her walk. She had sent him a message and then went and snatched it back. She had enjoyed that kiss. He knew she had.   
  
He ran his fingers through his hair and leaned back in the chair. He reached inside the drawer and pulled out a pciture of her. He laid it on the desk and traced it with his large index finger. So freaking pretty. Looks like she didn't know she loved him. She couldn't just reject him like this. He wouldn't allow it.   
  
Maybe it was time to show this girl exactly who's emotions she was playing with.   
  
*****  
  
Angela scanned Barter's. She wished her dad was here right now. He would get this creep, but she couldn't worry her dad with this. It might just blow over after a few weeks. She had went and talked with the Campus Security. They had told her she was overreacting. Probably just some guy playing with her. They even hinted to a belief that she might have sent herself those notes to gain attention.   
  
She was furious at the very thought, but eventually agreed with them that it would probably blow over. So far, she hadn't received any notes in two days. It made her breathe with relief. Maybe this guy was getting the picture.   
  
She ordered a coffee and went to look in the book section. She calmly looked at the books row after row. She hit African American Literature and slowed her pace. She spent a few moments in this section knowing that for her next report she hoped to do a piece on Nikki Giovanni.   
  
She smiled as she touched the bindings. Words from around the world, through every recorded time era, through every race and sex. This made her smile. She could still remember her daddy reading her book after book when she was little. She would shift under the covers and dream of far off places.   
  
She would dream that royal queens were her mom or that she was a visitor in some of the make believe worlds. She had known for some time that she would become a writer one day. Those little girl visions crashed into her as she moved down the aisle. She kept walking until she smacked right into someone.   
  
"Oh, I'm so sorry," she said not looking up.  
  
"It's okay, beautiful." She heard the voice and gasped. She suddenly wished she had been paying more attention. There was no one on the aisle besides them.   
  
"Get away from me," she hissed backing away from Marcus.  
  
He smiled, but his eyes retained their black coldness. "Now, why would you say something like that to your boyrfriend, darling?"  
  
"You are not my boyfriend and I'm not your darling. Just leave me alone," she cried before she turned to walk away.   
  
She felt her arm being jerked painfully. "Listen, sweetheart," he breathed cruelly, "You don't know who you're playing with. I can make a lot of bad things happen to you. I'd advise you to take me up on the date."  
  
"Is that a threat?" she breathed still struggling in his grasp.  
  
"No, it's a warning. I'd like for you to keep that beautiful skin soft and smooth, wouldn't you?" He touched her face with his other hand and she shuddered.  
  
He let go of her arm and pushed her slightly. "I'll never go out with you." She turned and walked away.   
  
"I really wish you would have chosen to make this simple," he muttered. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone. He dialed a number and waited.   
  
"Yeah?" said a voice from the phone.  
  
"Go through with the plan." He snapped the lid down on the metallic silver phone and sighed. She wanted this to be hard so it would be hard.   
  
*****   
  
Angela listened to her messages as she prepared for bed. Her dad had called to check in on her. She would give him a call tomorrow to assure him she was fine. Topange had called, seems Cory had run into some kind of emergency and she would be gone for the night once again. Rachel left her a message for them to go shopping. And the final message came on as Angela grabbed a lotion bottle.  
  
"Hey, Angela, this is Shawn. I'm worried about you. Give me a call tomorrow. We should go out and get some coffee or something. Bye."   
  
She nearly dropped the bottle. Shawn was calling her? She wasn't sure how she was feeling about that. Normally, she would be delighted, but right now, she didn't want him getting too close to her. She didn't want this crazy guy to hurt any of her friends.   
  
She sighed. She was going to campus security tomorrow and demand they do something to help her and if that failed she was going to break down and ask Topanga for advice. She was starting to feel terror in doing even the simpliest of things.  
  
She finished her lotioning ritual and tied her hair up before laying back in the bed.   
  
She felt herself reaching into a soothing haze as her dreams took her to a mountain.   
  
\\\\  
  
She was wearing a white tunic like people portrayed in the time of the Olympians. Her hair waved through the wind and flowers cascaded from her hair. She looked around as the wind grew faster around her.   
  
She looked down and saw a mighty river raging. She walked around awhile before reaching a building.  
  
Griffin-like creatures stared back at her as their red-marbled eyes seemed to be haunting her. She walked into the building that was ordained with greek writing. She gasped as she entered the main room.  
  
Everything was breathtaking. She walked all the way in and heard crying.   
  
She was shocked to see Shawn standing there throwing ashes upon a grave.   
  
"Shawn, my love?"  
  
Shawn nearly strangled at the sound of her voice. "Must the gods be playing a trick on my eyes or have my inner demons come to claim me in my most vulnerable moment?"   
  
She looked at him confused and started forward. "No! No, closer, you demon."  
  
She stuttered. "I'm not a demon. Shawn, it's me, Angela."  
  
"You could not be my love," he said fearfully.  
  
"Why not?" She was still confused.  
  
"Because my love is dead."  
  
"You mean that is me in that grave?" She spoke the words, but the feeling left her numb.  
  
"Not physically, but the god, the king himself, Zeus, have claimed you as his."   
  
She weighed his words and his fear and knew they must have truth in them.   
  
"But how?"  
  
"There is a curse. Oh," he said as a new revelation hit him. "You must leave! Now! If the god sees you here we will both be doomed in the sanctuary to a punishment that will last eternally."  
  
"What do you mean?" She wasn't comprehending. Suddenly, a roar flooded her ears and she fell to her knees. She found Shawn had done the same thing.   
  
The roar sounded like deafening thunder as the roar came in the pattern of footsteps.   
  
"He's coming! Save yourself."   
  
"No, Shawn, no. I can't. I won't."  
  
"Angela, go."   
  
"No."  
  
They both heard the air around them sizzle and things begin to spin. "You dare defy me? You dare come up against my command? How have your thoughts soiled my love?"  
  
Angela looked up and saw an average man or so it seemed.   
  
"May your punishment torment you, forever." Bowls of fire appeared and started overflowing as the man rose above the forming lake.   
  
"No. No, not Angela. Please kill me, but save her."  
  
Angela screamed as she felt the flames lash out and lick her feet.   
  
"No, Shawn."   
  
She felt herself rising and meeting the man who's face warped into Marcus and she screamed again shaking her head.   
  
"You are mine."   
  
"No. I refuse you. I refuse."  
  
"You silly, girl," his voice was scornful. "So be it." She felt herself falling into the fire and it was hotter than before. She tore at her skin as the fire destroyed her clothes.   
  
"Angela," she heard the cry.   
  
"Shawn," she moaned sadly. Angela woke with a start as fire licked at her feet. The entire dorm room was crackling like a red hot pool.   
  
Angela screamed again.   
  
*****  
  
A/N: Okay, you're probably saying where's the Shawn/Angela, man? It's coming, it's coming, I promise. I really do.   
  
Also, yeah I know the guy is crazy, but stalkers usually progress to becoming more violent and unstable. More likely to even expose themselves as their hunt becomes more uncontrollable. In this case, the guy isn't use to rejection since when he uses intimidation. Everyone always cowered when he used force. He's never had to face it to this extent before so it send him into a new territory where he strives more and more to get his goal. He's almost at the point that to obtain his goal would not necessarily take away the hunger to subdue it in everyway....even until death.   
  
Well, at least that's my theory on it from watching enough things on serial killers, stalkers, etc.   
  
Also, my perception of Angela is that she wants to help everyone with their problems, but she doesn't like to talk to others about her own. That's why she isn't rushing to her friends. Not only would that make her feel less independent, but it would also bring them into this web of trouble she's been caught in. That's my take. :D Anyway......the next chapter is coming soon. Stay tuned. 


	5. Bright Red

Disclaimer: Not an owner of any of the BMW characters  
  
A/N: I just want to thank you guys for reviewing. This is my first fanfiction story and I'm glad it's going over so well.   
  
Also, I apologize for last chapter. I forgot to do a spell check on it and I was tired when I wrote it so it came out with several spelling and grammar mistakes that I should have caught right away. Maybe for my next story, I'll use a beta reader. If I can find one. Marching on...  
  
Chapter 5: Bright Red  
  
*****  
  
The white sheets lay in stark contrast against the chocolate skin they cocooned. The room smelled of Lysol and had a metallic feel about it.   
  
Angela sat in the bed waiting for the nurse to return. She wrinkled her nose and looked around the room. Monitors beeped and beds wheezed. She hated hospitals. Ever since her dad had left her overnight when she had her tonsils removed, she had been fearful of them. But she was blessed to be in one now. Instead of being dead, that is. She had only been singed on her legs and feet. The minor burns would heal in a few weeks.   
  
She was most concerned about her dad finding out. He would freak if he knew what had happened. She was glad that being over eighteen left her responsible for everything.   
  
She grabbed the small Dixie cup full of ginger ale on the table next to her and took a sip. The ambulance guy had joked that she must have had one set of lungs to wake the whole floor up. Even then she was having flashbacks of awaking to the blaze. Marcus' words echoed in her head.  
  
The door handle turned and she jumped. She almost breathed a relief when an officer walked in.  
  
"Hello, ma'am, I'm Officer Marna."  
  
"Hello." She fidgeted slightly in the bed.   
  
"Can I ask you a few questions?" He took out a small book and sat in a nearby chair. She nodded her participation. "Do you know how this happened?"  
  
"No." She still didn't know how someone could have gotten into her room.  
  
"Is there anyone who you know would want to do this?" He looked up at her.  
  
"Yes."   
  
"Yes?" His eyebrows lifted. "Who, ma'am?"   
  
"There's this guy named Marcus who has been stalking me."  
  
Officer Marna sat closer to her bed. "Tell me everything you know."  
  
She paused, "Well, he's been stalking me for a week or so, maybe longer, I don't know. He's just insane."  
  
"Do you know a last name, ma'am?"  
  
"No, but I go to school with his cousin, Sera Hennings."  
  
"So, can I ask you who you'll be staying with until your dorm is repaired?" She looked at him strangely. "This is so I can follow up on any leads," he continued with a small smile.   
  
"Oh, well, maybe my friend Topanga." The truth was she had given that very little thought, although she did know that the school was supposed to call her roommate.   
  
Angela endured around of more serious questions before the officer left.   
  
She sat back in the bed resting her head. She wished they would release her soon. She just wanted to go to sleep and a hospital was not where she planned to take her rest.  
  
A few moments later, her nurse, Betty, walked in with two gentlemen in uniform.  
  
"Angela, this is Officer Joe Berry and Officer Sheila Crown, they would like a word with you."   
  
Angela looked shocked at the two officers. "But, but, I just talked with an officer."   
  
The two officers looked at each other in concern. "It wasn't one of our guys. We just got here."   
  
Angela's eyes widened with fear.  
  
*****  
  
John tossed the police cap into the passenger's side. 'Whew', he had high-tailed it out of there just as the real police showed up. He looked at the bright red glowing of the ambulances driving out of the hospital's emergency vehicle entrance gate. What a close call that had been. He sighed as he entered the car, started the engine and shifted into drive.   
  
This assignment for Marcus was getting more dangerous by the minute and this girl was on to Marcus. He still couldn't believe Marcus had actually had a fire set to the poor girl's dorm. He shook his head as he headed to a local donut place. This shit was too messy. He should just fold in and try to find another job.   
  
He looked at the windows starting to be splattered by heavy raindrops and saw Kelsie's face. His beautiful, vivacious, but very pregnant fiancé came to mind. No, he would have to endure a few rounds more and hopefully his conscience would let him sleep if this girl got hurt or worse...killed.   
  
******  
  
Angela shook as she recounted her experience with the real officers.   
  
"So, someone just came in here posing as a cop?" He shut his book closed after getting all of the facts down. The first place they would head is Campus Security. No one tells someone not to be concerned about a stalker unless they were afraid of something or covering for someone. He didn't tell her that though. He wasn't sure how much bad news she could handle right now. He figured the Angela had enough to worry about. After all, she'd just endured a life threatening experience and if someone was nerve enough to use a crowded campus as a playground for her emotions, no telling what else they were willing to do.   
  
"Yeah, he said his name was Officer Marna."  
  
"Did he ask anything else?" Sheila asked. She had been the most understanding through the questioning. She'd had had a crazy step-father who stalked her mother and she understood the fear.   
  
"Yeah, he asked where I would be staying and if I knew who was doing this to me."  
  
The officers looked alarmed. "What did you tell him?" asked Sheila.   
  
"I told him I would be staying with Topanga."  
  
"Who's Topanga?"   
  
"My best friend." Angela's brow creased. She realized she had put her friend in danger.   
  
"Well, let's get Topanga on the phone. Looks like you both will be needing to stay some other place." Officer Joe took down the number and headed to the nurse's station.   
  
Officer Sheila watched her partner exit the room before glancing at the girl who was now looking at her hands. She moved to the bed and sat on the edge.   
  
Angela looked up.  
  
"I know what you're going through, Hun. Some crazy man comes from out of nowhere and starts disrupting your life."  
  
Angela nodded as salty tears formed in her eyes.   
  
"We're going to catchy this guy, sweetie ." She reached over and gave Angela a light squeeze on the shoulder.   
  
"I hope so."  
  
"Don't you worry, we'll see to it."   
  
Officer Joe re-entered the room. "Your friends are coming here and the nurse said you can leave as soon as you dress."   
  
*****  
  
"How could you not tell us?" Cory yelled. Topanga, Rachel, Eric, Jack and Angela sat at a table at the local Applebees.  
  
Angela winced at the loudness of his voice. "I didn't want to worry you guys."  
  
"Not worry us!" Topanga joined in. "You've been letting a crazy guy stalk you, but you didn't want to worry us? When were you going to tell us? No, wait, maybe you were going to let him kill you instead."  
  
Angela began to get upset. "I didn't let him stalk me," she said glaring. She couldn't believe her best friend would say that.  
  
"Look guys, this is all news to us, but obviously Angela thought she was looking out for us." Rachel said patting her friend on the back while also trying to make peace.  
  
"Yeah, it has to be traumatizing for her to even have this happen and you guys are fussing with her," added Jack.   
  
Topanga and Cory remained silent.   
  
"So where are you going to stay?" Rachel picked up her drink and took a sip.   
  
"I don't know. I told the guy where Topanga lives so we can't stay there."  
  
Topanga spoke up. "I'm going to stay with Cory tonight. I feel safe with him." She smiled as they snuggled up together.   
  
"You can stay with me." They all looked at Eric who had just ate the French fries he had previously stuck in his nose. He smiled at Angela. "I recognize the free boot-ay." They all smiled despite of the situation.  
  
"Uh, thanks Eric, but no. Aren't you still living in Mr. Feeny's car?" Angela questioned.   
  
"No, I've moved into the dean's car. It's an SUV, definitely more spacious," he said with a grin.   
  
Rachel rolled her eyes at Eric's comment. "You know Eric, you could move back in with me and Jack."   
  
"Naw," he replied silently. The air held tension for a second.   
  
"Well, how about staying with Shawn?" Topanga threw the question out and for a second it seemed as if all the air was drawn from the atmosphere. Every head turned to look at Angela.   
  
"That's not a bad idea," Rachel said slowly after she realized Angela wasn't going to speak.   
  
No one caught the look that Angela gave Cory as dread lined her face. That was the last place she wanted to stay. He looked back at her with helplessness.   
  
"Hey, guys, um maybe she can stay with you two." He nodded at Rachel and Jack.  
  
"Oh, I wish she could, I really do, but I promised my cousin she could crash at our place this week. You understand right, Angela." She looked at Angela sadly.  
  
"I understand, Rachel."  
  
"Okay, then I'll go call Shawn." Topanga got up happily and went to the pay phone.   
  
Only Cory noticed the uneasiness that hung on Angela's demeanor.  
  
*****  
  
A/N: ugh, okay I've been on borderline writer's block so I cranked this out hoping to get rid of the slump. The good news: it worked in keeping from being blocked. The bad news: this chapter sucks. Anyway.....MAJOR Shawn and Angela interaction in the next chapter. Stay tuned. ; ) 


	6. Warm Red

Disclaimer: Of course I don't own BMW characters  
  
A/N: Can I say thanks for the reviews enough? certainly not. Thanks guys, it means a lot.   
  
Here's the Shawn/Angie interaction......Here We Go :p   
  
A/N: unfortunately, my computer is acting up on me. I'm not sure if it's the storm that's starting or what, but it refuses to let me change certain things. It deletes other letters when I try to correct words, soooo....excuse me, please.   
  
Chapter 6: Warm Red  
  
*****  
  
The door closed on the old trailer as, Shawn opened the door for Angela. She shook out her umbrella and sat her duffel bag down on the floor.   
  
The place was messy, but not in a dirty way. Papers and clothes littered the floor and Angela spied a set of dirty dishes in the sink.  
  
Shawn went to an old couch and took off the cushions to reveal a bed.   
  
He scratched his head and looked over at Angela who was silently looking everywhere but at him.  
  
"Sorry, this is all I've got. I'll take the floor if you feel uncomfortable sharing a bed."   
  
She inwardly felt relieved. It was bad enough being cooped up with the guy she loved, sharing a bed felt impossible.   
  
"Okay, that's fine." She pulled her duffel bag over to the table and plopped down in a chair.   
  
They remained quiet for a few more minutes. The awkwardness washed over them.  
  
"Shawn," Angela finally spoke. He looked at her. "Thanks, you know, for letting me stay here."   
  
He nodded and joined her at the table. She pulled lightly at the fingers in her lap. She could beat Topanga right now. She knew it would be weird, but it was almost like the two hadn't had a relationship. Like she was a stranger.   
  
He looked at her closely. He always recognized her nervousness. "Can, I ask you something?"   
  
She ignored her fingers and looked up at him. "Sure."  
  
"Why didn't you tell me? f all people, you know you can trust me."  
  
"I know," she paused. "I guess I thought it would pass." She avoided eye contact and gazed at the wall behind him.  
  
He sighed. Hadn't they been close one time? Why was this so hard? She couldn't even look at him. "Don't lie, Angela."  
  
She took note of his sharp tone and glared at him.   
  
"Why didn't you tell one of us? You didn't tell anyone, not even Rachel or Topanga. What's going on?"  
  
"Nothing," she stood. She had come to him for help, not another lecture. She picked up the duffel bag and headed for the bed.   
  
He grabbed her wrist and she turned to look at him. Her eyes questioned him. He felt her confusion as well as his. "You know I would do anything to protect you. All of us would." He let go of her wrist and she nodded.  
  
She changed the subject, never clearly answering any of his questions. "Do you have something that I can wear? I didn't bother going back to my dorm. I just borrowed some of Topanga's clothes for tomorrow."   
  
He shook his head and went to a drawer. He actually had cleaned the place up after getting the call from Topanga. Only Cory and Topanga knew he came to the trailer for peace. He hadn't even told Angela. That was their problem, they hadn't talked like they should have. And with all of his problems, they definitely should have had more talks. He should have been more honest with her. She always put out more information than he did. He gave kernels to her nuggets. Always holding back from her.   
  
He jerked open a drawer and pulled out an old T-shirt and some baggy pants. "Here you go." He handed her the items. She headed for the small bathroom. "If you flush the toilet make sure you jiggle the handle or else the water won't refill."   
  
He watched her close the door and he sat back down in his chair. Man, he couldn't believe it when Topanga had called asking if he'd let Angela crash. He wanted to say no. It was just too odd to be around her especially alone, but then she had explained. The feeling that went through him ranged from anger to hurt. He didn't know who to be more mad at-Angela or this creep. Of course the creep had won out, but it had been a toss up for a second. He couldn't believe she hadn't told him. He did feel some comfort in the fact that she hadn't told anyone, but not much.   
  
His eyes diverted back to the bathroom as the door opened and Angela walked out. He held a gasp in as she walked out in only the T-shirt.   
  
"The pants were too big," she explained.   
  
His eyes followed her as she went to her bag and pulled out a toothbrush. Apparently, the group had made a quick run to the supermarket. She ripped a toothbrush out of it's container and headed for the bathroom again.   
  
'My word,' he thought. What am I going to do with her walking around like that?   
  
He bit his lip and waited for his turn to change. It was going to be a long night.   
  
*****  
  
Angela shifted in the bed. She wasn't getting an ounce of sleep. She stuffed the pillow under her head and moved again. Every time she closed her eyes, either flashes of the dream appeared or she saw the fire dancing around her.   
  
She shook and finally got up. She shuffled around the floor trying not to wake Shawn up.   
  
She would drink a cup of water and try sleeping again. She was almost to the table when, "Ow!". She hissed at the small fan that she had stubbed her toe on. Apparently, it was the state of the art air conditioning of the trailer.   
  
"Are you okay?" Shawn sat up and flicked on the lamp.   
  
"Yeah, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you."  
  
"It's okay, I wasn't sleeping well."   
  
She looked at him with concern. "What's wrong?"  
  
He looked at her and smiled for the first time. "That seems to be the question to answer these days, huh?"  
  
She moved her gaze to the bed.   
  
"Stop that," he yelled. She looked at him startled. "Stop looking pass me or at something else in the room." He jerked the thin sheet from his body and she eyed his boxers. He was slightly embarrassed because she'd never seen him in boxers before, well none like these anyway. Little hearts seem to dance around his legs as he moved. "Didn't we develop a friendship? Why are you afraid to look at me?"  
  
"I don't know," she muttered before turning around. She hated being vulnerable, but she hated other people knowing she was worse.   
  
"NO!" He surprised himself and her too because she jumped. "Look at me, Angela." She faced him again. "Why are you being so stubborn?"   
  
Her shyness left quickly. "Why are you?" she spat out. She glared as he fumbled for an explanation. "Exactly, how I feel."   
  
She walked to the cabinet and pulled out a small glass. She filled it with water and sat at the table.   
  
He ran his hand through his hair. "Where did we go wrong?"   
  
Angela forced the liquid down in two quick gulps. "When we stopped talking." She tilted her to the side to look at him better. "Why did we stop talking, Shawn?"   
  
He smiled sadly. "Wish I knew. It was probably my fault like everything bad in our relationship was my fault."  
  
"No, Shawn, it wasn't all your fault."   
  
"Sometimes I feel like it."   
  
"Well, don't." She placed the glass in the sink. She walked over to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I will always have love for you, Shawn." She patted his cheek.   
  
The gaze they held was unsettling to Shawn. He felt warmth flow through him and he grabbed her hand. His other hand caressed her face and leaned in for a soft peck on the cheek.   
  
He kissed her cheek and her forehead and her nose. He then reached her lips and lightly touched them. It left him feeling like old times.   
  
He noticed that Angela had froze and started to draw his lips back, but then hers pressed gently on his. The air sparkled around him and his hands found their way to her waist.   
  
The kiss deepened as Angela drew her hands through Shawn's hair. The soft strands felt like wisps of cotton.   
  
His hands started gripping stronger and moving steadily against her clothing when Angela envisioned Marcus' hands tightening around her.   
  
She stepped back quickly and rushed to the bed throwing herself inside the safety of the worn sheets.   
  
Shawn opened his eyes slowly and turned to face Angela, but she lay with her back towards him and the sheets pulled to her shoulders.   
  
He sighed. "I'm sorry." He looked at her still form, knowing she heard him. "Angela, I'm sorry." She said nothing. He shook his head and flicked the light off.   
  
Angela lay in the quiet darkness contemplating what had happened. She was scared. Scared that she had dazed out and mistaken Shawn's tender kiss for Marcus' brutal one. And sorry that she had let herself kiss Shawn.  
  
*****  
  
Outside, Marcus watched the lights fade out as he looked at the trailer. He would make his move tomorrow. The finals touches to his plans would be accomplished. Him and Angela were going to get married.   
  
*****  
  
A/N: eh, well I like this chapter more than the last one. Hope you guys enjoy it. : D 


	7. Dark Red

A/N: Thanks for the reviews guys. I have enjoyed each one you all's feedback. ; D  
  
I also took into consideration a few suggestions so it should be in play, some more subtle than others.   
  
Chapter 7: Dark Red  
  
*****  
  
Angela wandered around the art gallery. She should have talked with Shawn. She shouldn't have left him like she did.   
  
She had gotten up earlier than usual and high-tailed it out of there. She would stay with a distant cousin she had met once at a family reunion. Of course she had left that whole stalking incident out when begging for the couch.   
  
She sighed and headed outside. She had went to her early classes, but ditched her late classes for some peace and alone time. She pulled her jacket closer. Even though it was almost mid-spring, the weather had had a recent abundance of cold fronts.   
  
She shivered and headed into a mini mall. Maybe she would grab a soup or something.   
  
*****  
  
John tried not to quiver as Marcus yelled at him.   
  
"How could you forget about the guy?" Marcus grabbed a crystal glass and flung it across the room. He didn't notice when John flinched as they both were covered with some of the sharp glass.   
  
"Hey, man, I didn't know. I said I'm sorry." John shoved his hands deeper in his pockets causing the small shards to fall like shiny snow at his feet.   
  
"Sorry? Sorry? Man you screwed up." John watched as Marcus began pacing the floor while sliding his hand across his forehead. Marcus stopped and slammed a tight fist into his own head. "Think. I've got to think."   
  
"Why not use the guy to get to her?"  
  
Marcus looked at him as if he were crazy. "Are you serious? I don't want him anywhere near me. The scum. If he hadn't have treated her like dirt, then she would have said yes to dating me. I don't know what I'd do if I saw him," Marcus spat and sat down hard in his seat.   
  
John couldn't believe the extent to this man's delusion. He was honestly convinced that Angela secretly loved him. He wasn't recognizing that she despised him. That she wished he would burn like her dorm room had.   
  
John ran his hand through his hair. "Just a suggestion. I mean, what do you want me to do? Run up on her and kidnap her?" He noticed the look on Marcus' face and opened his mouth in shock. "Oh, no way, man. That's too twisted even for you."  
  
"It won't be really kidnapping. It'll help her know we are right for each other."   
  
"I can't do it. I won't do it," stammered John.   
  
Marcus glared at him and balled a piece of paper up. "You will you filth-bag. You owe me. And I'm sure your fiancé would like to know what her precious John has been doing to support her unborn bundle of joy."   
  
It was John's turn to be angry. "You wouldn't?"   
  
"I would and will unless you get me what I want."   
  
"But this is illegal."   
  
"Oh, tsk tsk, John, and impersonating an officer isn't? Sounds like you might be a hypocrite."   
  
"But I didn't hurt anyone. You want to force this girl to love you against her will. When will you realize she doesn't?"   
  
Marcus' anger turned to rage. He stood and grabbed his chair heaving it at the wall. It crashed into a copier before tumbling onto the beige carpet. "She does love me! She loves me and she wants me! Don't you ever go telling me how MY girl feels."  
  
John realized he was holding his breath as he saw Marcus struggling to catch his.   
  
"Okay, okay. I overstepped my bounds." Fear reigned in his heart and in his voice.   
  
"The hell you did. Don't you ever say anything like that again." Marcus crooked a finger at him and retrieved his bent chair. He slammed it down behind his desk and sat down.   
  
John grieved as Marcus laid out his plans. Maybe he would stop by that old church after he did the deed. He was going to need forgiveness from somebody.   
  
*****  
  
Shawn walked through the streets of Pennsylvania. He had to find Angela. They needed to talk.   
  
He shouldn't have kissed her. He should have known it would only complicate their relationship. He knew she had skipped class, but he wasn't sure if she still hung out in the mini mall area or not. That had been their spot and if she was there then he would know she still cared.   
  
He passed a card shop and a pet store, taking a brief minute to glance in each for any signs of Angela.   
  
He looked in each store for about a hour and was about to give up when he saw the familiar coat and boots walking out of a small restaurant that specialized in vegetable soup. That was one of Angela's favorite foods. He had joked with her that not many people liked soup that much for it to actually be on their "like" list, much less their favorite food list.   
  
He followed her as she sped up.  
  
*****  
  
Angela could sense someone behind her. Someone following her. It was her latest fear. She walked faster, trying not to run. But then running might bring attention to her and she could escape.   
  
She noticed a mini mart only a few yards away and neared it. She figured she could get help in there.   
  
The steps echoed closer and closer until...  
  
A hand grabbed her shoulder and she stifled a scream. She turned and prepared to strike. She might as well go out with a fight and with all the shoppers around someone might make a call for help at least.   
  
She turned and stared directly into Shawn's eyes. "Shawn?" She breathed out her fear and dread filled its place. She had left for a reason and he had tracked her down.   
  
Yeah, she was happy that it was him instead of Marcus, but still. She didn't want to deal with this right now.   
  
"Angela, you okay?"  
  
She shuffled her feet. "Yeah, just trying to get out of the cold."  
  
"Why did you leave so early?" he blurted out.   
  
"Look, I don't feel like talking about this right now." She looked behind him at some kids playing in winter's long suffering fragments of snow.   
  
"When? When do you feel like talking about this? You can't ditch your friends forever and I am your friend Angela. I am." He lifted her chin to face him.   
  
She jerked her head out of his hand. "I can't talk right now. I have too much stuff going on."   
  
"And I'm here. I'm here to help you! Why are you running? I thought I was supposed to be the one who ran from everything."   
  
"Well, I guess we're alike, you and I. I need to go."   
  
Shawn shook his head as he watched her walk down the street. Why was she being like this? And why did he care so much?  
  
*****  
  
Rachel applied lipstick over her lips slowly and glanced at Jack's reflection in the mirror. She watched as he hooked his tie into a knot and struggled into his navy jacket. They were going out to dinner.   
  
Who knew that they would think of each other this way? They had just been roommates, but that hadn't lasted long before the attraction began. She began noticing how he spiked his hair and how he laughed and she would laugh at even the corniest of his jokes. That was how it started. Now they were going on their first real "date".   
  
"Jack, I'm concerned about Angela." She placed her grandmother's pearls around her neck, quickly fastening the jewels with a snap.   
  
"Yeah, she did seem distant today."   
  
"And she left after half the day. That's not like her at all."   
  
She watched as he patted cologne on. "Maybe we should check in on her. She's staying with Shawn, right?"  
  
"Yep, maybe we should have told her how much we care about her, you know? I don't want her to think she's in this alone. She really is a valuable friend."   
  
"Yeah, she was there for me when my dad died."   
  
Rachel looked at Jack in surprise. "She was?"  
  
"Sure was. She would talk to me about him and we'd talk about Shawn too."   
  
Rachel nodded. "I think I'll call her now, before we leave."   
  
"Good idea. Tell her I said hi, too."  
  
"Okay." Rachel punched the numbers into the keypad and listened to it ring. It rang several times before kicking into the answering machine. She heard Shawn's voice tell her to leave a message and a name.   
  
"Hey, Shawn. Hey Angela This is Rachel just wanted to check on you. Give me a call after 10pm. Maybe we can get together soon."   
  
*****  
  
John shook violently. He felt as if he would vomit. Kidnapping. The word was sour to him. He knelt before the altar and prayed. Would God forgive him for hurting this girl? He didn't know. He had made so many mistakes in life, but none this serious. He was delivering her to the lion's den. He knew Marcus would hurt her to get what he wanted.  
  
He watched as a priest entered the confessional.   
  
He walked briskly to the confessional.   
  
"Yes?"   
  
"Bless me, Father for I am about to sin."  
  
*****  
  
Shawn sighed as he entered the trailer. He was tired and confused. He dumped his bag on the floor and went to the refrigerator. He popped the top off of a Pepsi.   
  
He heard a knock at the door. He went to the door and opened it. Topanga, Cory, Rachel, Eric and Jack stood with a cake and some chips and soda.   
  
"Hey guys, It's not my birthday. What's up?"   
  
"Well, we wanted to throw Angela a party to show her how much we love her."   
  
"Yeah, we must love her a lot to cancel a date," Jack mumbled before receiving an elbow from Rachel.   
  
"Oh, well she isn't in, yet." Shawn ignored the outburst.   
  
"I tried calling Angela, today. Did you get my message?"   
  
"No, I haven't checked my messages yet. Let me go do that now. Come in and make yourself comfortable. It's not much, but you can sit anywhere you can find room."   
  
They dispersed through out the room putting the food on the kitchen table.   
  
Shawn punched the button and listened to a few messages. Rachel's message came up and he erased it. The next message, however, got the whole group's attention.   
  
"Hello, Angela, sweetie. How are you?" The voice was deep and none of them recognized it. "I'm coming for you baby, so be ready. Your lover, Marcus."   
  
They all looked at each other with fear before panicking.   
  
"Oh my God, Cory." Topanga gasped.   
  
"Call the police!" Shawn grabbed his coat.   
  
Rachel already had the phone in hand.   
  
"Shawn, where are you going?"  
  
"To the one person who might be able to track this monster down before anything bad happens."   
  
*****  
  
Angela stepped from the bus carrying two bags. Nothing like a little shopping to help a downtrodden person cheer up.  
  
Almost all the stores on the street had closed. She walked on the quiet street, her boots clicking softly, but loudly on the street. She smiled at a man and nodded her head in greeting.   
  
She smiled as she neared the building. She didn't see the person waiting in the alley for her. She didn't see the dark coat and muffled coughs until the last minute.   
  
A man reached out and grabbed her from behind. Her bags fell breaking the vase she had inside. She struggled trying to scream, but a cloth went over her face blocking her nose from fresh air. She fell limply in the stranger's hands.   
  
*****  
  
John was glad he had bought the chloroform. It made everything quicker. He rushed to the vehicle hidden behind two houses. No one had lived there in ten years so he knew he was safe.   
  
He had almost chickened out, but he didn't want to deal with Marcus.   
  
He looked at her in his arms and felt his heart drop. He couldn't believe he had done this. He was just as bad as Marcus, maybe worse.   
  
At least she went down with a fight he thought as he eyed the stinging scratches already starting to raise stark red against his skin. Of course, he knew she would.   
  
*****  
  
A/N: Where's Shawn going? Where is Angela being taken? Stay tuned. : ) 


	8. Brick Red

Disclaimer: Don't own the BMW characters. All the Hennings and John are in my possession. I'd sell 'em for a lollipop and a veggie sub though.....j/p  
  
A/N: I can't tell you how the response to this story has extended beyond my imagination. Going into this story, I was simply hoping for a handful of reviews and have been blessed by many, many more than I thought I would receive. Thank you all very much.   
  
Also, I'm feeling a tad rusty so I'm not sure how this chapter will turn out. I will tell you that I already know how it's going to end. *grin* What journeys it takes in-between are still a bit hazy to me.   
  
And this chapter and the next few will most definitely earn the R-rating. Before now, this has been a mild-kinda strong pg-13 fic. Violence is going to be playing a major part for the upcoming chapters. Please heed the warning.   
  
Also, a lot of this is happening in close relation with each other time wise. Hope it's pretty clear how it's playing out.   
  
Chapter 8: Brick Red  
  
*****  
  
Marcus twiddled his thumbs slowly, losing patience. John should have been here a half hour ago. He should have known he couldn't trust the little fuck. He was weak.  
  
As it was, they'd have to keep low on the radar until morning. He didn't want her friends snooping around. He was going to marry her tomorrow, but knew he couldn't chance having her taken in broad daylight. Too many people and John was losing his nerve by the seconds.   
  
In fact, he wasn't even sure the little coward had done it. All he knew was that he had better if he planned on living in this town.   
  
Marcus had too many plans in-store for him and Angela. He was already looking at houses and knew he would work five jobs if necessary to let her be at home with the kids.   
  
The kids. He knew they would be gorgeous. He knew any little girl he had, and he already had plans for at least two, would have him wrapped around their little fingers. And a Marcus Jr. He smiled to himself. That would nice, especially if the little girls looked like Angela.   
  
He couldn't wait to see Angela. He had bought that little red dress after all and now he was going to see her in it.   
  
He glanced at his watch. The minutes were ticking down. Soon he would have to leave the building for a shift at the club and he wanted Angela in his possession by that time.   
  
*****  
  
Shawn's vision was blurry before him. He swerved several times to keep from hitting oncoming traffic. All the thoughts in his head were jumbled and out of focus. His mind kept wondering if he could have avoided all of this by insisting that Angela come with him that afternoon.  
  
No. He knew she would have resisted him even more strongly, but he couldn't shake the guilt off. The guilt off this whole situation being his fault. And if this creep harmed her, he'd never forgive himself.   
  
Angela was right. He was being stubborn. Stubborn in not telling her he loved her.   
  
He sped up when he saw the sign. It's a good thing he'd had that talk with Sera earlier. Seems Marcus wasn't the only one who could find out information.  
  
The silence of the building loomed down on him as he parked into the parking lot. He risked a nervous glance at his watch and eyed the building before getting out of the vehicle. Time was running out.   
  
*****  
  
John could hear his grandmother talking to him from the grave. "If you do this, you'll burn forever". She had always been a religious nut who he'd brushed off. But for once, the old Italian voice stirring in his brain seemed to be saying what he was thinking himself.   
  
He had turned into what he feared the most. A predator preying on the weak just to meet his own needs.   
  
He took a breath and eased the van into the old garage. He couldn't keep Marcus waiting much longer.   
  
*****  
  
Shelia Crown stared at the stricken faces as her partner asked a curly-haired boy some questions. This case had been nagging her for the last couple of days and now she knew why.  
  
She saw the fear in each face as she tried to psycho-analyze Angela's friends. They had failed. She had failed. She had promised Angela that they would protect her and find this scum.   
  
"The good news is that this Marcus guy has already convicted himself. Once we get him, the prosecution will have him on a platter." Sheila looked up to hear her partner informing Cory Matthews of the trial. The problem was Angela and perhaps Shawn Hunter could be dead before they went to trial.   
  
"We'll find them. They'll be safe." He said this loud enough for the others to hear.   
  
She gazed at Joe and knew he was half hoping, half bluffing. She could see the edges of fear in his eyes. Everyone knew that if Angela wasn't found in the next twenty four hours things might get very bloody. Kidnapping cases were pretty much hopeless after that time window.   
  
You couldn't hope for an Elizabeth Smart Case here. This was a sexual predator. They'd checked his record. The boy had been in and out of juve' hall through out his child and teen years because of his aggression and attachments. His files said he was "reckless and would even risk his own life to get what he desires". Not good news at all. Especially since Angela looked like she'd rather die, herself, than yield to him.   
  
Sheila hoped they would find Angela. She really did, but she also hoped that if they didn't, Angela would go out with dignity and pride. She hoped she wouldn't surrender.   
  
"What about Shawn?" That was the Hunter boy's brother speaking.   
  
She spoke up," We don't know. If you have any clues about where he could have went now is the time to tell us. Angela, is probably safe for awhile. After all, she's what Marcus wants, but a tag along boyfriend is definitely not what Marcus wants. Shawn has truly put himself into danger. We need to find him before he finds Marcus."   
  
The friends looked at each other in horror.   
  
"I think I might know someone he could have went to," Eric said softly.   
  
All the gazes in the room rested on Eric.   
  
*****  
  
Shawn stared at the bright green sign and walked in quietly. You needed an invitation to be here and he didn't have neither an invitation or the time to deal with security.   
  
He watched the flow of people laughing and drinking. A couple of girls in tennis skirts walked by him giving him a look. Cute. They were definitely cute, but not his type. Somehow, he couldn't see him embracing a girl who relied on her daddy for everything or really, he couldn't see a rich dad letting him go out with a his daughter knowing Shawn was a walking debt.   
  
He casually walked by the pool careful to avoid any confrontations. He'd removed his leather jacket in the car and turned his collar up to make it look more presentable. There was nothing he could do about his wrinkled slacks, but before now it hadn't bothered him.   
  
He watched as waiters dispersed through the crowd serving champagne and crackers. Some fancy way of trying to fill the people up so the meal bill wouldn't be as high. Crackers were a lot cheaper than prime ribs and t-bones.   
  
He looked at the club carefully. It was previously an old house that had just been remodeled into a small country club. Oak Ridge Country Club to be precise.   
  
At least that was what Sera had said. Along with, "It's impossible to get in without an invitation." He almost snorted at that.   
  
The only people who couldn't get in were those who made it obvious they were crashing the club. He was smarter than that.   
  
He continued looking at the building until he noticed a window on the left with a small lamp turned on. That was the room. It had to be. The flowers growing on the balcony beneath it matched Sera's description. He had wanted to do this slowly and in broad daylight, but now that Angela was God-knows-where he had to rush through this. He may even have to use a little force of his own.   
  
*****   
  
Marcus stood on the small deck overlooking the garage and watched as John pulled in.   
  
'Finally!' He had better have her too.  
  
He put out the cigar and walked down the rusty old steps. This place was where he had worked before the boss had died of a heart attack and had been closed and used for storage by his greedy step-daughter. This is where he had first met John, even before they'd worked for his uncle.   
  
The door slammed and he heard John's feet shuffle.   
  
"You get her?" He knew he had asked it too eagerly by the way John stared at him wearily.  
  
"Yeah, I got her."   
  
Marcus walked to the backdoor about to open it when John cleared his throat.   
  
"Man, I can't do this anymore. I got you what you wanted. Am I done here?"  
  
Marcus tilted his head at an angle before he looked at the man. "Sure, you're done." He reached behind his back pulling out a small handgun.   
  
John's eyes widened in fear. "Don'..."   
  
He never got anything else out. The bullet exited the chamber and swiftly spiraled, quickly reaching it's target. John felt the burn in his chest when the first bullet entered, but was already numb by the second and third shots. The fourth one he didn't even feel.  
  
"You're done, done done," Marcus said sing-song-y. "Now for my prize."   
  
*****  
  
Angela had been coming out of her haze when the air around her became filled with the smell of gun powder, not even a second later she jerked as four shots were fired. She didn't even know where she was. She looked down at her tied hands and feet and groaned through a piece of tape and a headache. The door began to creak open and she was too shocked.  
  
*****  
  
Marcus had been delighted to get John out of the way. He had begun to be a burden. The squeeze of the gun had been exhilarating for him. Sure, he'd killed people before, but not someone he knew so well and never that close range. He looked at the blood on the van and shook his head. Too bad. He'd hoped to take the van to his destination. Now he'd have to take his love out.   
  
He couldn't have gotten a better present than her long lash framed eyes staring at him when he opened the doors. "Hey, Baby." He smiled at her, watching her close her eyes. She knew he had won. It's about time she acknowledged who the boss was around here.   
  
*****  
  
Shawn sped around corners and curbs trying hard not to flip his brother's car.   
  
It hadn't taken him long to find who he was looking for and boy had Kenny seemed surprised to see him. He would have laughed at the surprise in the guy's face if the situation wasn't so serious.   
  
Kenny hung on as they rounded a corner. "So you're telling me that my brother has kidnapped your girlfriend?"  
  
Shawn cut across a car earning him two loud horn blasts. The driver switched lanes and pulled beside him giving him the finger before moving on.   
  
"She's not my girlfriend, but yes that's what has happened."   
  
Kenny adjusted his glasses. "You're telling me my brother is out to harm somebody?"  
  
"Yeah." They reached the garage and Shawn was practically out of the car before it had completely stopped. "You sure this is the place?"  
  
"Yeah, my brother said he had some work to do here before going to the club."  
  
*****  
  
Marcus was about to climb in and help his struggling beauty when he heard some noise from outside. "Aww, sweetheart, looks like I have to see what's going on first."  
  
He neared the exit. Who was messing with his plans now? He really didn't have time for this. Maybe he shouldn't have killed John he thought in disgust. There were houses nearby, anyone could have reported a noise.   
  
*****  
  
Officer Joe Berry sat across from Sera and her father.   
  
"Are you sure he isn't causing problems?"  
  
"Absolutely." Sera watched her dad lie and she kept her thoughts to herself. "He's been trouble in the pass, but that's all behind him now. I don't know why you guys insist on bringing him down. Maybe cops really are crooked."   
  
Sheila knew Sera's father was lying. She could tell in the girl's demeanor and she felt anger welling inside of her. This man was possibly an accessory to murder by not telling them what he knew.   
  
"No sir, we are not." Sheila noted the tone her partner took. He was personally offended. She knew he worked hard at being fair to everyone. "We had reason to believe he might do something dangerous. We're sorry, sir."   
  
"You better be. Now, if you have nothing else to ask please leave."  
  
"But the recording," Sheila began.   
  
"It's probably a joke or to his girlfriend. It means nothing," he said harshly.   
  
"Okay, sir. Thank you for your time."   
  
"Walk them out, Sera." He stood and headed to his study.   
  
Sera watched her father head to his study. "He's lying," she whispered.   
  
"What?" Sheila said.  
  
"Let's walk."   
  
They walked back through the humongous living room and spacious den and neared the front door.   
  
"It's all my fault." She shook her head.   
  
"What is?" Officer Berry eyed her.   
  
" All of this," she said gesturing with her hands. "I should have never invited her. That's what he wanted. I should have known this would happen. Whatever you say he did, he probably did and it's only going to get worse." She frowned. "Here." She grabbed Sheila's pad.   
  
"This is the only place I know to go. I gave it to Shawn Hunter too."  
  
"Thank you, Sera."   
  
Suddenly, Mr. Hennings shouted," Where are you, Sera?"  
  
She looked at the two officers and whispered, "I hope you find Angela, all right. If you do, please tell her I'm sorry." She turned and yelled, "I'm coming daddy."   
  
*****  
  
Topanga was worried and Cory, Jack and Rachel weren't helping. Rachel and Jack kept pacing and Cory kept talking about the worse case scenarios.   
  
"Please, just stop it," Topanga yelled frustrated.   
  
"How can I stop? Both, Shawn and Angela are out there somewhere with a lunatic. I'm sorry but I can't be my usual rational self."   
  
Topanga laughed slightly. "When are you ever rational?"   
  
"What are you trying to say, Topanga?" Cory feigned offense.   
  
Everyone enjoyed the lighter mood.   
  
"Let's sing a song." Eric grabbed Jack and Rachel's hands.   
  
"Guys, we should be concerned about Angela and Shawn right now, not singing some silly song," Rachel said watching Eric swing her hand high in the air and drop it, only to grab it again and repeat the same routine.   
  
"We are, but I agree with Eric, we need a song right now," Jack replied.  
  
Cory reluctantly gave in and joined Jack's other hand and Topanga joined Cory's.   
  
He looked at their faces. Maybe they'd say a short prayer afterwards as well.   
  
*****  
  
Marcus didn't have time to defend himself as he got hit by a left hook.   
  
Shawn had punched the guy out of reflex. He shook his hand as the bones let him know that he would be icing them for awhile. He opened the door with his right hand as Kenny slowly followed cautiously after taking a look at his fallen brother.   
  
He saw the van door opened and John's bloody remains. "What the fuck?" He practically yelled. "Angela? Angela?"   
  
Kenny stared in shock at the body crumpled on the floor. His brother was a murdered.   
  
He watched as Shawn walked to the van and peered inside. He saw him lean in and start to pull something out. Kenny was amazed to see it was a girl. That girl from the club that night.   
  
"Oh, Angela. I'm going to get you out of here." Shawn untied her feet and had started on her wrists when he noticed her eyes go big.   
  
"What?"   
  
He never saw the guy sneaking up behind him, neither did he notice when Kenny struck him hard in the head with the brick, but he felt himself fall and heard a remnant of Angela's scream as he tumbled to the ground.   
  
Kenny stood behind Shawn still clutching the raised brick oozing Shawn's blood.   
  
"Well done, lil bro." Marcus now stood watching Angela kneel at Shawn's side. He touched his eye. Looks like things were getting complicated. He now knew he'd have to kill the boy to have Angela.  
  
*****  
  
A/N: What will happen to Shawn? Will the police get there in time? Will Marcus use Shawn as a tool to get what he wants from Angela? Stay tuned. ; D  
  
*****  
  
A/N: It took me awhile to come to grips with writing this. I rewrote it a couple of times. I'm not one for mindless violence or abuse, but it goes with the story.   
  
And yes, Shawna, I, too am a night owl. I do my best thinking and my best writing in the night when I'm not being distracted by others or other things. The night is soothing. 


	9. Cardinal Red

Disclaimer: don't own 'em. Can't say much more than that.  
  
A/N: Thank you guys for the reviews. I do currently know how this story will end, and I hope you each are enjoying how this is unfolding. Thank you again for the feedback, it certainly makes me smile to know someone likes the story.   
  
On with the story.....   
  
Chapter 9: Cardinal Red  
  
*****  
  
Sweat dripped from Sheila's eyes as she paced her office. The cold front had ended last night and the station's air conditioner was on the blink again. A small fan rotated noisily as it craned its neck to blow on the weary officer.   
  
She picked up Marcus' file and shook her head. The boy had fled the city after a reported shooting in the area. They had found a body and apparently some of Shawn's blood rested on a brick inside the garage. She was losing hope of finding Angela alive and it was affecting her more than she had thought.   
  
The girl reminded her of a younger version of herself. Confused and sad, putting her trust in the law. That's exactly what a young Sheila had done after her step-father had tracked her and her mother down, ultimately killing Rebecca Crown and injuring Sheila. Sheila had struggled through life and had finally gained her confidence back by joining the police academy.   
  
She had rarely let cases affect her, but this one was touching deep into her soul. She looked at another picture of a young Marcus. Marcus Timmons now known as Marcus Hennings glared back at her from his mug shot.   
  
Assault. That was the case for this particular page of his file.   
  
Sheila squinted at the page's list of places he liked to hang out at. There had to be a clue here. The sun baked on her back and she turned to lower the mini-blinds. She'd rather have it stuffy than have the sun bake her to death.   
  
Her mind took a detour. She had had to call Shawn and Angela's friends the previous night to confirm their worse fears. She'd told them that both, Shawn and Angela, were in Marcus Hennings' custody and he was dangerous. She had purposely left out the fact that Shawn was probably injured and that a separate body had been recovered. She sighed as she flipped on a small television set to see her partner, Joe, scanning the crowd and answering questions about the case.   
  
Since this city was relatively small and quiet, this was nationwide news. It had hit all the major stations, including Fox News, MSNBC, ABC and CNN.   
  
Her partner looked slightly uncomfortable in front of the microphones, but steadied his voice to give clear answers. She shook her head. There was no way that she could have done what he was doing. The thought of having to face all those people with little to no clues was not only scary, it was frightening.   
  
She wiped her forehead with a paper towel dipped in cool water and turned back to Marcus' file. 'Please,' she begged in her mind, 'Please, give me something here.'   
  
*****  
  
Marcus drove bitterly through a seemingly desolate intersection and slammed on the brakes as a car crossed in front of him. If he wasn't trying to keep a low profile he would have yelled at the driver.   
  
He looked at Kenny from out of the corner of his eye. He could see his brother literally shaking in his pants. He still couldn't believe his little bookworm brother had decked that boy with a brick! What a riot. He never would have guessed it. Shoot, lil bro was growing up. He had to give it to him for not panicking after Shawn dropped like that.   
  
Marcus didn't know whether to be angry or not at first. This meant he couldn't have the wedding where he had originally planned it or go to work or stay in the city, but after he had thought about it, he was glad. This would get Shawn out of the way and make Angela be with him mind, body, and spirit without worrying about if Angela secretly pined for Shawn.   
  
He had almost shot the boy then, but he'd seen Angela's reaction and knew he could milk Shawn's injury for his own benefit. She had refused to get into the second van at first, but she'd certainly been more cooperative after Shawn had received a few hard kicks. Until then, she'd resisted with so much animosity, it almost forced him to shoot her.   
  
He pulled a strand from his hair absently. Shoot, he'd almost shot her after she had refused to budge, holding onto Shawn's arm crying. He clutched the steering wheel harder at the memory of her tear-streaked face. He'd made her cry. He cursed himself, but couldn't shake the feeling of glee at glaring down at his rival slumped over and unconscious. And soon him and Angela would be basking at the beach when they honeymooned off of the Jersey Shore. They were headed to one of Marcus' childhood hang outs. Unfortunately, lil bro was straddling the line between vomiting and urinating almost every fifteen to twenty minutes.   
  
He heard a rattling from the back. Great. The boy scout was probably awake from his stupor. A light turned green and he continued through it slowly, careful not to draw any attention. He saw his brother's face regain some of its normal coloring. At least some things were going his way.   
  
*****  
  
Angela watched as Shawn stirred. She leaned over his side. She was cautious not to frighten him. This whole thing was surreal and it had gotten even more incredible during the last few hours. Shawn let out a gasp and she moved over to him.   
  
Marcus had taken her shackles off to let her move more freely. She still had to contend with ankle chains though.   
  
"Oh," Shawn winced, trying to sit up.   
  
"Shawn, don't move." She pulled her sweater over her head and rolled it up. She gently moved his head and pushed the bunched sweater under it. It was rather cold in the van, but he needed the sweater more than she did.   
  
"Where am I?" he stammered, trying to remember where he was. His eyes were finally adjusting to the dark atmosphere when she spoke again.   
  
"Shawn? Shawn? Are you okay? How is your head?"  
  
Shawn's eyes gazed around his surroundings before settling on Angela. His head throbbed then, swiftly bringing back memories of the previous night. His groans grew louder and he clenched his teeth from the pain. He saw Angela's worried eyes and swallowed back as much of the intense pain as he could.   
  
"I'm okay." He felt her hand lightly touch his and he grasped her fingers tightly.   
  
"I'm sorry, Shawn. I didn't mean for all of this to happen," she looked at him with sad eyes.   
  
He laughed slightly before gulping down the pain that followed. He couldn't believe she was apologizing for this Marcus freak. But truthfully, he knew she felt guilty because he had gotten hurt.   
  
"I'd rather be here hurt than be at home wondering where you are." He looked her in the eye and saw her confusion.   
  
"But you're hurt. Because of me." She had said the phrase chopped up. Thinking about what he had said as she answered him.   
  
"So, we'll get out of here." He put his hand on the scabbed-over wound checking it for wetness before he grabbed a folded seat to pull himself into a sitting position. He jerked through his torment as the van took a sharp turn.   
  
"This isn't some fairy tale, Shawn. This is real life and real life doesn't always end happily," she stared at him.  
  
"Yeah, well being with you is like a fairy tale and that alone makes me think things will be okay."   
  
She looked at him angrily, "Don't say that."  
  
"Why?" he was confused.  
  
"Because I don't want to believe in something that will only end in false hope."  
  
He pushed himself up from his slumped position, easing himself into the crook of two boxes on either side of him. "Why? Don't you believe in us anymore, Angela?"  
  
"Um, if you haven't noticed, things aren't exactly going well for us."   
  
"That doesn't mean you give up on hope," he said firmly before whispering the next part, "or give up on love."  
  
She shook her head, "I can't believe you still believe in love."   
  
He looked at her surprised. Why was she acting this way? He knew he still loved her and no matter whether he hadn't shown his own love, he knew it in his heart that she still loved him too. But to give up on love completely? Who was this girl?   
  
He opened his mouth to speak when he felt the van stop abruptly and the front doors slam shut.   
  
*****  
  
Kenneth Edward Hennings' stomach clutched as he slammed the door shut to the beat up old van. They'd decided to take the dark gray van instead of the blood soaked white one and he had almost puked on every mile.   
  
His brother thought it was because of his car sickness. But in truth it was because of the image of Shawn Hunter's limp body tumbling to the floor that made his insides churn. He had never been violent. It had just a combination of seeing his brother, his only true protector, lying listlessly on the ground and the thought of his sibling going to jail for murdering that man that edged him to react in such a manner. He wasn't the one who did these things so when his hands grabbed the brick and smashed it hard into the guy's skull, it had been off of full adrenaline.   
  
"You get, Angela. I'll get the boy." His brother's voice brought him out of his musings.   
  
He nodded as they went to the back of the van. The door shrieked open as the old handles fought against Marcus' harsh pull.   
  
"Rise and shine, lady and gentleman."   
  
*****  
  
Shawn watched as the door was unbolted. He recognized the look of fear that Angela held and tried to remain calm. He knew he would need to keep his cool to get them both out of this mess...alive.   
  
*****  
  
Marcus clicked his teeth as he opened the door. The faint smell of blood sailed to his nose and washed over his being. He could almost taste it on his outstretched tongue. Hopefully, the wound had healed enough for Shawn to see his love become Marcus' love. He pulled the gun from his waist.   
  
"Let's get this party started, okay?" He shoved the weapon in the air with force. He looked at Shawn and narrowed his eyes. The boy was showing no fear. He would fix that. He wanted the boy begging for his life right before the trigger was pulled. "You," he pointed the gun at Shawn, "you, out first."   
  
His eyes drifted to Angela. He could see the look of despair on her face and bit his lip. She was supposed to be happy. They were together. Maybe the boy had been lying to her. The thought inflamed him even more.  
  
Shawn got out of the car, cautious not to aggravate his head wound. Marcus grabbed the boy roughly by his shirt.   
  
Marcus looked at Angela and nodded to signal that it was her turn. She slipped out of the van and Kenny gently grabbed her arm. He was glad that Kenny was being gentle with her. He didn't want to have to hurt his own brother.   
  
They walked to an old abandoned house. His late grandmother's house. A place no one would think to look for him at. He had killed his cousin that lived there a few years ago, shortly, after he had found out that it was being sold. He hadn't felt bad about the killing because he had tried to get his cousin to sell it to him, but his cousin had refused. It wasn't like they were close or anything, anyway. In fact the two despised each other. So it had actually been a relief to see the bastard gone.   
  
He looked at the old house still firmly rooted on its sturdy foundation. The white paint now took on a dirty, yellow tint, but the inside was virtually the same with just a few minor adjustments he had made to preserve his granny's memory. Marcus had made sure that the untouched rooms stayed that way. It was the same as the days when his uncle would drop him off after school. He had played in the spacious backyard and the dense woods. He had helped his grandmother mix the kool-aid and bake apple pies. This was the only place he had felt accepted as a child. His grandmother had never shunned him, even through all of his rebellion. This was his home. His home until him and Angela moved into their house. Then he would say goodbye to his grandmother and hello to a new life. He almost sighed wistfully, but quickly gained control of his emotions.  
  
He dragged Shawn by his shirt as they approached the rickety stairs. He had hoped to fix the outside of the place a bit, but that was around the time he had started pursuing Angela and then he had been pre-occupied with chasing her.   
  
They went inside of the house and the pastel green kitchen greeted them. Cardinals adorned the small room. Their beady eyes looking at the occupants as if holding a secret. The birds reminded him of his grandmother. That is why he had decorated the place with them. When he would get in trouble, she would tell him a story about a bright red cardinal and the luck it brought to the property and how it would bring luck to him as well. The birds brought him a sense of peace.   
  
"Go park the van in the woods, Kenny," he barked the order and Kenny released Angela to comply.   
  
*****  
  
Tension filled the air as Cory, Topanga, Eric, and Jack kept their eyes glued to the television. Rachel had passed out from exhaustion a few hours ago.   
  
No one knew what to say and the food still lay on the table from the previous night. No one could eat, much less party. The phone call from Officer Crown had brought a sense of dread to all of them. No one knew if the last time they saw Shawn and Angela was the last time they would see them and they all had things they wished they would have said. Words unspoken that clung to their hearts and threatened to burst them open.   
  
Jack wished he had told his brother he loved him more. They didn't show too much emotion towards each other, but regret settled into Jack's mind and he vowed that if he could only see his brother alive again he would remedy that. And Angela. She'd been there for him when his father died. He had felt her compassion first hand. He would never tell his brother or Rachel about the kiss they had shared. Instead he had pushed those feelings aside and found Rachel. He knew deep inside that he still had feelings for Angela and that made his regret grow deeper. His attention shifted to Rachel who was sprawled on the floor with a pillow from the sofa wedged behind her head.   
  
Topanga chewed on a nail and thought of yelling at Angela. Now, she wished she had embraced her friend and invited her to come with her to Cory's house. This guy might not have gotten Angela if she had been with people. Cory had whispered to her that that wasn't the case, but the guilt still hung on her shoulders and with each reporter's pessimistic predictions it was weighing her down. And how many times had she scorned Cory for spending so much time with Shawn and not enough with her? Now, all of that fussing seemed ridiculous. At least Cory had really been there for Shawn. She hadn't been there for Angela, even when her friend needed her the most. She bowed her head slightly.   
  
Cory scanned the room eyeing the other people in the room. He was trying to keep a level head, but it wasn't working. Two of his closest friends were in a killer's possession. He knew deep down he couldn't have prevented it, probably would have gotten himself killed if he had tried, but that didn't help the sinking feeling of his friend's deaths haunting him for forever. He looked at Eric's face and wondered what his brother was thinking. He wasn't particularly close to either, Shawn or Angela, but he had to care. Eric was a softy at heart.   
  
Eric was the calmest on the outside. But inside he was in turmoil. Everyone saw him as the clown, or the goof ball, but he cared for his friends and wanted them all to be safe. He knew that everyone was taking it hard and he wasn't trying to change the mood like he normally would. What could he possible say to comfort them? He watched as a female reporter stood outside of a garage in the city. She motioned wildly, shaking her head and pointing to the building while explaining the murder of a local man. She paused to look into the camera before turning it back to the news crew in the studio. The usual cheery anchorwoman shook her head as if in personal anguish and told the audience that they would continue to update the story as the news came in.   
  
Eric closed his eyes and silently prayed that Angela and Shawn would be okay. He had no idea how much they were going to need his prayers.   
  
*****  
  
A/N: I honestly didn't want to end this where I did and fought on whether to end it here or not, but what I have planned would take another chapter's worth of writing and I would like to keep the chapters closely proportioned. So this story has actually been expanded one chapter more than originally planned.   
  
This was so hard for me to write for some strange reason. I'm not quite sure why, but the next chapter will flow easier. Hope you guys like it. It's more like a bridge to the next chapter, but it got some points across I wanted to get across.   
  
Also, pay attention to the details in this chapter.....specific things are in here for a particular reason. ; D 


	10. Blood Red

Disclaimer: no BMW character is mine. All outside characters are mine however. Although, I doubt anyone wants to claim ownership to a psycho.   
  
A/N: Thanks guys for the reviews. I am truly happy that you guys are enjoying it. I am working on a novel. But I started writing fanfiction, just recently of course, to really hone my writing skills. It's such wonderful and relaxing practice. And like I've said before, if you see anything that just bugs the crap out of you, just tell me. I take constructive criticism as well as reviews.   
  
Also, I may reload some of the chapters because of grammar/spelling errors that is bugging me and can only imagine is bugging some of you all. But that will probably be after the story is finished since I'm focusing more on writing the story right now.   
  
/////: indicates a flashback  
  
Let's get it on.   
  
Chapter 9: Blood Red  
  
*****  
  
The tall tree held the weight of the lean young man. The sun shined bright as it started setting behind the horizon. The gray van was now hidden behind a nest of greenery.   
  
Kenny inhaled a puff from his inhaler. He knew from the look his brother had given him that Marcus was planning to kill Shawn. He breathed out as the thought of being involved in someone's murder terrified him. His sweat slicked palms gripped the tree for support. He glanced around the yard wondering if he could somehow alert someone. The police had to know about the shooting by now. Of course crime happened in Philly, but not normally where they lived. It was relatively quiet upper and middle class people just struggling to make a living. Sure, they had a few problems now and then, but violence wasn't really an issue for their area.  
  
He looked at the expensive Rolex on his wrist and closed his eyes. He had better go back. Maybe he could prevent his brother from killing again.   
  
*****  
  
Shawn sat close to Angela on the rickety couch. He didn't know what was going to happen, but he knew he had to be strong for Angela. Marcus had been jeering at her since they had gotten here. What was worse is he had been using Shawn against Angela. Anytime she didn't immediately do as he wished, he would threaten Shawn.   
  
It pained Shawn that he was causing her trouble through all of this. He knew she felt the same, but he tried to assure her that she should stand up to Marcus, even if it cost him his life. He wasn't sure Angela could though. She was shaking like a leaf beside him.   
  
He watched as Marcus turned to talk to Kenny, who had just came back from parking the van.   
  
"Angela, calm down," he dared to whisper. He took her hand.  
  
"Shawn, I can't. I don't have a good feeling. I don't think I can be strong much longer," she whispered back.   
  
"Look, no matter what, you don't let him force you to do anything you don't want to do."   
  
"But he'll kill you." She looked at him with worried eyes.   
  
"Angela, listen," he hurried his words as he saw Marcus and Kenny arguing. He knew Marcus could turn around at any second. "I love you, Angela, and I want you to know that I never meant to hurt you. I was thinking of myself this whole time. I know you won't admit it, but I know that we belong together. We will be together, even if it's not in this life."   
  
"Shawn, I can't watch him kill you, knowing I could do something to stop him."   
  
"Even let him rape you?" He stared at her in wonder.   
  
She glanced around uneasy and he knew she had been concerned about that possibility. "I don't know. I mean, I'll heal. And if we are meant to be together, I want to be together in this life, not another," she winced as the words came out. She knew that she couldn't imagine allowing someone to rape her.   
  
"No," Shawn whispered harshly. His teeth clenched. "Promise me you'll stand up to him no matter what." She looked to see Marcus's large hands flex into a fist. She gulped as anxiety rose in her throat. Could she say no to him if Shawn's life was on the line? "Promise me!" Shawn hissed at her, bringing her attention back to him.   
  
"Shawn..."  
  
Marcus turned around angrily. "No talking!" His voice echoed, shaking the thin walls.   
  
Shawn and Angela cut their conversation and both risked a glance at Kenny, who held his glasses in his hand as he rubbed his eyes. He looked deathly pale and they could see his chest rise in an effort to calm down.   
  
"Get up!" Marcus stomped across the room to shove the gun into Shawn's face. Shawn stood up. "You ruined everything." Marcus pushed the gun to Shawn's chest. "You have ruined everything for me. If it wasn't for you, everything would be going according to plan." Marcus' rage surfaced as Shawn stared at him almost begging him to pull the trigger.   
  
Shawn knew he was playing with fire, and he didn't really want to die, but he didn't want anything to hinder Angela from standing up to this freak. If it meant that he had to die, then he would rather die then make her choose. He knew by her hesitation that she wasn't sure she could let him die. What he had wanted to say was that Marcus was probably planning on killing him anyway, so it was no need of not standing firm against Marcus. He had never gotten that chance though.   
  
*****  
  
Angela looked on in fear. He was going to shoot Shawn. She could see it in his eyes. She was truly torn. She knew Shawn wanted her to resist him no matter what happen. And boy, did she want to do just that. In fact, if it was just her, she would. But she couldn't risk Shawn's life. She really couldn't live with herself if she did. Shawn had wanted her to promise, but she hadn't. That thought flashed through her mind and she stood suddenly.   
  
"Please, don't hurt Shawn." Marcus' attention slid to her. His mouth betrayed him and switched into a smile.   
  
Shawn looked at her. He cursed silently. This is exactly what he didn't want. Now Marcus was sure to use their love for each other against them for whatever sick game he was playing.   
  
"And why shouldn't I?" His eyes held an evil mystery.   
  
Angela swallowed. "Because I'm asking you not to."   
  
"And what are you going to give me in return?" His eyes glazed over as he looked as her. His eyes gazed slowly down her body with his obvious intentions.   
  
'God, help me to be strong,' she prayed. Where was the police at? She refused to close her eyes and took a breath. She'd have to play along to an extent. "What do you want?" She smiled seductively.   
  
Marcus blinked. She was playing with him. More like playing him. He wasn't dumb, but he couldn't say he wasn't enjoying it. He decided to test the waters. Maybe he wouldn't have to kill Shawn until after the wedding like he had originally planned.   
  
He caught sight of his brother sitting in a chair like he was about to pass out. The little creep was concerned about Shawn. He'd begged him not to kill the guy. Maybe him and Kenny could be happy.   
  
"What do you think I want?" He stepped away from Shawn and stood in front of Angela. He molested her with his eyes.   
  
"I don't know," she answered in the same seductive voice.   
  
"Oh, I think you do." His voice held danger. His breath caressed her face and she could feel the lust radiating from him. She almost vomited.   
  
"No, I don't. You have to tell me."   
  
Shawn stood completely still. He wanted to do something but Marcus' gun now aimed more at Angela. He couldn't think of a way of helping her without ultimately getting her shot in the process. And surely from that range, a shot would kill her. He cursed himself again.   
  
"You're not going to do a single thing while I'm here." Shawn's declaration cut through the fun Marcus was having with Angela. That DAMN boy. She had been playing along. Of course he knew she would have quit before she let him do anything, but he knew he could have pushed her a bit more before she folded. He knew they were trying to protect each other.   
  
His attention turned to Shawn again. He cocked the gun. It was time to have a different kind of fun.   
  
*****  
  
The screen glowed as the report came up. The steam from a cup of coffee filled the air. The wood chair scraped as it was shifted. The microwave dinged. The food was ready.  
  
Officer Joe Berry stood with a huff and retrieved his Hungry Man meal. Unfortunately, it had been nuked so badly that the chicken was rubbery, the mashed potatoes hard, and the water had evaporated from the now crunchy corn. He sighed. He should have cut it off a few minutes ago.   
  
He was rechecking the reports. His shift had ended hours ago, but that call from Angela's dad had made him continue to search. He was now using the reporter's information like they used the police's. He was checking one by one what they knew on Marcus' childhood. Most of it was all about his mother's death, father's arrest and time spent in juvenile hall. Blah, blah, blah. He needed something new.   
  
He glanced at the window and stood. It was getting dark. The sun had set about twenty minutes ago and he was getting more worried by the seconds. Each hour they lost to nonsense like this was another percentage being taken off of their chances of finding Angela and Shawn alive.   
  
He ran his fork through the discolored corn. He couldn't eat. He dumped the meal in the trash. He finally sat back down. He could remember Mr. Moore's conversation. He wouldn't be able to get into town until two days from now. The panic in the sergeant's voice had been apparent. He had demanded that they put everyone at the station on the case. He wanted his daughter found. And he wanted her found now.   
  
Joe sympathized with the man. He knew that if anything ever happened to his little Jessica, he would die. He would kill everyone in his way.   
  
In a way, this was his Jessica. This was every man's daughter. Every man's precious jewel. His eyes scanned back to the screen. He leaned on his desk as he used the mouse to scroll through the filter. His eyes flowed across the screen. Another report about his childhood. The officer had almost clicked back to read another report when a paragraph caught his attention. He was sipping his coffee when his eye hung on a particular sentence. He choked on the sour brown liquid.   
  
He stood hurriedly from his desk. He knew where Marcus had went. The night would be upon them soon. He needed to reach Sheila, now. He only hoped they weren't too late.   
  
*****  
  
Kenny had been surprised his brother hadn't shot Shawn on the spot. He certainly seemed furious enough. Instead they now stood outside as his brother had ordered.   
  
"We're going to take a little walk in the woods," Marcus sneered.   
  
"Now?" Kenny felt his voice squeak. Nothing good could come out of walking in the woods at night. Especially not with Marcus.   
  
Kenny's thoughts flashed back.   
  
/////  
  
Two little boys in matching baby blue suits ran through their house. It was late on Christmas Eve. They had just come from Mass with their grandmother. The cold Pennsylvania breezes made the air bitter. They were both excited that Santa was coming. Marcus, eight, and Kenny, six, were beyond the fact of believing in Santa, but they went along with it for all the presents that accompanied the lie. They were happy to play up on the tale for all the toys that would await them in the morning.   
  
Soon they were ushered to their beds after long hot baths and the annual reading of the Christmas story.  
  
The warm blankets did nothing to calm the excited boys down. In fact, the serene atmosphere made the boys even more fidgety.   
  
It wasn't long before Kenny heard his brother's voice. "Let's go outside and play in the tree house, Kenny."  
  
He had sit up then, "We can't. If we get caught, we'll be punished on Christmas and have to wait to open our presents."  
  
"We won't get caught. Besides, wouldn't you like to know what happen to those crickets we caught?"   
  
"Yeah, but Markie, we could get in big trouble and then Sera will tease us."  
  
"Forget, peabrain, and don't call me Markie. You know I don't like it." Kenny had hesitated. "Aww, stop being a baby. Let's do this for fun. No one will see."   
  
Kenny had finally relented but only after he had made Marcus promise they would only be out for a few minutes. His brother had guaranteed him they wouldn't be out too long.   
  
Soon, two little blonde heads dodged trees and tried to keep from falling on the crunchy snow. Icy patches tripped them up once or twice, but they continued their journey until they reached the tree house. The tree house was their sanctuary in this place.   
  
None of the neighbor kids wanted anything to do with them thanks to Sera.   
  
Kenny followed his brother up the makeshift ladder and went over to the bugs that lay dead in the glass jar from the lack of air.   
  
"They're dead, let's go." He had turned to see something shiny in his brother's hand.   
  
"No." Marcus moved closer. He held a gun.   
  
Kenny's eyes widened. They weren't allowed to play with guns. Aunt Kerry was afraid of the boys becoming violent like their father. Kenny knew the rule was more aimed at Marcus then him, but he didn't mind not playing with them. But this gun, this gun was his uncle's gun. It was real.   
  
"What are you doing, Marcus?"   
  
"I'm tired of you getting all of the attention." His brother seemed to be in a trance.   
  
"Huh?" It was the only thing he could think to say.   
  
"You gotta die, Kenny."   
  
Kenny felt his heart thump swiftly. "Why? What did I do?"  
  
His brother's finger gripped the trigger even harder. "Nothing. That's the problem. You do nothing and they still love you. I do everything and they hate me."   
  
"I'm sorry, Marcus. I'll make them hate me. I will." Tears ran from Kenny's eyes. His brother was going to kill him right here. In the woods.   
  
"Sorry, lil bro." Kenny closed his eyes as Marcus pulled the trigger. Nothing happened. After a few more clicks Kenny opened his eyes.   
  
"Just kidding." Marcus' grin stretched a mile. Kenny was shaken, but okay.   
  
They made it back in time and no one had caught them. He'd thought nothing of it until a few months later when him and Sera had had a fight. She let it slip that she saw Marcus head out to the tree house with the gun and that she had taken the bullets out of it.   
  
He had stared at her. He couldn't call her a liar because she knew too many facts and his heart had turned cold. He knew then that his brother had really intended to kill him that night. Truthfully, he didn't know why Marcus had never tried again, but he hadn't.  
  
/////  
  
The vision faded. Now he was going into the woods again. Something he promised himself he'd never do again. Sure, Angela and Shawn were with them now, but he wasn't sure that Shawn was the only one in danger of not coming back.  
  
*****  
  
"Yes, now," Marcus barked. It was like his lil bro had been reduced to a sniveling idiot. "Let's go."   
  
All of them headed into the woods. No one knew what would happen.   
  
*****  
  
Sheila had barely gotten the last of her yogurt down when Joe had called her. Now they both went over real estate, but in separate offices. They needed to work without distractions. And Joe was definitely a distraction.   
  
There had to be a house rented, leased or owned by Marcus' grandmother. Of course, he had felt safe there. At least that was what a reporter had put in her article. That made sense. He would run to the one place he had felt the safest in his life. She knew she shouldn't, but Sheila felt a tinge of sadness for him. His life wasn't all cake and candy. He'd had it rough, but now he was causing problems for other people and that took away Sheila's sympathy for him.   
  
An officer came into the room waving a sheet of paper.   
  
"Whatcha got?" She looked up.  
  
"Seems granny had a place near the woods. Some pine crest house or something." The officer put the paper on her desk and headed out.   
  
"Thanks, Greg."  
  
"No problem." He noticed the dark circles under her eyes. "Hey Sheila," he said before exiting the room.   
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Don't beat yourself up if they aren't alive, okay?" He left the room before she could answer, shutting Sheila off from the world.   
  
*****   
  
The trek out to the woods was a long one considering Angela was still bound at her feet. She tried to calm herself, but she could feel the tension build in every step. Something bad was bound to happen. She knew it by the look of horror on Kenny's face. She hadn't seen that look anywhere else before.   
  
She also wished that she hadn't done what she did. She'd fired up Marcus and made him get even angrier at Shawn. And she wasn't so sure that she hadn't pushed Marcus to do something to her she didn't like. And now they were out in the woods. She had decreased their chances of being found by the police even more. Especially after the brilliance of daylight.   
  
Shawn's words echoed in her mind again. Could she let him rape her? God, she didn't know. The thought made her soul shake. She knew this experience would haunt her forever, but being raped would disable her.   
  
She could only hope this whole ordeal took a turn for the better.   
  
*****   
  
Shawn could see the look on Angela's face in the corner of his eye since they walked side by side. They had passed the van about a half a hour ago. He didn't even know where they were going.   
  
They finally reached a small shack approximately fifteen minutes beyond a railroad track. Shawn was trying to keep track of markers in his head. He knew it would aid the police when they got free.   
  
He wondered if Angela was doing that or if she had given up complete hope. He hoped not. He wanted to make things right between them. He wanted another chance. He couldn't imagine going through this for anyone but Angela. He knew when that realization had hit him just a little while ago that he not only wanted their relationship back, he needed it back. She completed him.  
  
Marcus stopped the group at the shack. "Stop, right there." He walked to the front of the group with Kenny, who still looked like he was going to be sick.   
  
Marcus waved his gun. "We're going to have a little fun." He led them to the shack's dingy door before giving Shawn a shove inside. Angela followed behind Shawn.   
  
Shawn kept his balance through the push and looked around the shack. Much like the house, the shack was much nicer on the inside than it's exterior. A king sized bed with gold posts stooped in the corner. The sheets were a crimson red color. Two miniature lamps sat on a table beside the bed and a white radio sat beside the lamps. A small sink was nestled between a couple of cabinets.   
  
Shawn couldn't believe his eyes. This place was much better than any part of the house they had been in. It was quite spectacular for a place of it's size.   
  
Marcus saw Shawn's surprise and was almost amused. "You like the bachelor pad?"  
  
Shawn hadn't noticed him and Kenny entering the dwelling behind him and Angela, nor did he note the fact that Angela was currently freed of her restraints, but he did decide to play up on the friendly tip as much as he could. It could only help them right? Any little time that he could buy he would. "Yeah, it's nice."   
  
"Glad you like it cause I'm about to enjoy a little bachelor activity." Shawn looked at Marcus in confusion. Marcus laughed briefly, "Don't worry, man, you'll get to enjoy this part too."   
  
Shawn didn't know whether to ask or not, but since he wasn't feeling Marcus' usual hostility towards him, he forged ahead. "What do you mean?"   
  
Marcus nodded towards Angela. "We're going to enjoy a little strip show."   
  
Shawn could only look at the guy with shock.   
  
*****  
  
The old house murmured and groaned as Sheila and Joe walked down the stairs. The shingles barely hung onto the building and even the smallest wind could rattle the dusty windows. This was the fifth house they had searched and so far it had come up empty. The darkness was pierced as Sheila's flashlight scanned the premises. They had already checked the woods around it.   
  
She shined the light onto a list she held. Apparently, the records when Marcus' grandmother had obtained ownership of the house hadn't been transferred into the computer records. So unfortunately the search was taking longer than normal. The number of houses had been lowered from the list she had first comprised, but it was still taking an unnecessarily long time.   
  
She walked to the car, weary to get in. What if none of the houses were the one they were looking for? Then they would be back to square one. They would have spent time looking at useless places while Angela and Shawn were stuck who-knew-where trying to survive. Everyone knew surviving a night was key in a kidnap case, but who knew if they would?   
  
She sighed as she lowered herself into the police vehicle. Two more houses. Maybe one of them was the "one".   
  
*****  
  
Marcus smiled in glee as Shawn looked at him with a variety of emotions playing out on his face. "What? Angela never put on a show for you?" He tilted his head to the side, never really expecting an answer to his question. Shawn was stunned into silence.   
  
Angela stood in the background absorbing this information. What was she going to do? You can't particularly say no to a crazed psycho waving a gun around could you? Especially in such an enclosed area. That would certainly get someone killed and she knew exactly who it would be.   
  
"Angela, how about it? Would you like to give us a show?" She watched as he pointed the gun at Shawn. She nearly closed her eyes. He was using Shawn to get to her again. And damn him, it was working. She said nothing as Marcus turned his full attention to her. "You did tell me I would have to tell you what I want. Well, this is it. This is what I want."   
  
Marcus watched as she struggled with her inner being. He knew before she did who would win out. He already knew she wouldn't purposely sacrifice anyone's life. She was tough, but not insensitive. Shoot, she would probably do it to save Kenny's life, even though he had hit Shawn.   
  
"Okay," she whispered. He saw the pain in her eyes. That's when an idea popped into his head. He still owed her for that little kick she had given him. The thought of it made him almost cringe. 'Yes, she still had to pay for that.'   
  
"But I would like a personal lap dance, first," he said with a grin that matched that of the Cheshire cat from Alice in Wonderland.   
  
"A What?" She looked at him with such contempt that his smile faltered for a second.   
  
"A lap dance. I know you know what I mean." He was getting angry with her now.   
  
She was about to protest when she her thoughts were interrupted.   
  
"Angela, just do it." Both of them turned in amazement as Shawn spoke out.   
  
Kenny stared at the boy in wonder. What was he up to? He, of all people, had been trying to stop Marcus from the beginning. Now he was ordering the girl to do what Marcus said? He was suspicious, but he figured Shawn had a plan if he was saying that, and if that was the case, it would only benefit him as well.   
  
Kenny kept quiet as his brother found his voice. "Yes, Yes, do as Shawn says." He could tell Marcus was suspicious as well, but he also knew his brother was stupid enough to believe that since he held a gun, he was still in control.   
  
*****  
  
Angela looked at Shawn in amazement. He wanted her to comply to this creep? She looked carefully at Shawn and noticed something in his eyes. He was up to something and she knew he was begging her to work with him.   
  
"But Shawn," she began.   
  
"No, Angela. Just do what he says. It's no need of us acting like we're in charge here. Arguing will only get us killed." He turned around and flopped down in a chair. His chains clanged against his seat.   
  
She looked at the back of his head. He was counting on her. She only hoped her performance was good enough.   
  
*****  
  
Marcus was in heaven as Angela finally said she'd do what he wanted. He was very suspicious of the boy now, but he figured a quick lap dance wouldn't take his attention off the boy for too long. Plus, he was looking forward to having all of Angela's attention for once. He had dreamed of this moment.   
  
He was about to sit in a chair when Angela spoke. "How about you sit on the bed?"   
  
He stared at her in pure glee. "Whatever you say, baby."   
  
Angela ignored the bile that rose to her esophagus when he called her baby. Shawn had better have one hell of a plan. Just thinking of doing this was making her nauseous. In fact, she was rapidly losing her nerve. She said a quick prayer and summoned all of her courage. 'Here goes.'   
  
*****   
  
Shawn breathed in. He was so sorry he had put Angela up to this, but he needed Marcus' attention elsewhere while he went through with his plan. He knew Kenny would not be a problem. He had overheard Marcus threatening Kenny and he could tell Kenny was trembling. Kenny was so scared of Marcus that Shawn had nearly forgave him for hitting him over the head. He could only imagine how it was growing up with such a cruel person. He almost felt bad for the guy. Now he would have to count on him. He hoped the guy wasn't a complete coward. It was half of Kenny's fault they were in this place.   
  
He eyed the gun that Marcus put down. They had one chance. 'Please, Angela, forgive me if this doesn't work out.'   
  
*****  
  
Marcus watched as Angela stood in front of him. Her hips swayed slowly to the jazz song he had put on. His eyes were mesmerized as she reached for the first button of her shirt. He was five seconds from drooling all over himself.   
  
He watched as her finger trailed down the shirt. Two, three, four and five. Without the buttons, smooth silky skin was revealed. He was now very glad that she had gotten out of the fire with out any scars. He watched with lustful intensity as her hands went up to her collar and slowly pulled her shirt back. He was struggling to keep his hands off of her. He wouldn't touch her now. Not when she was playing the tease so well. It would destroy the moment.   
  
Her hands trailed over her bra and her stomach to reach her pants.   
  
As she unzipped the pants, she focused on imagining. She pictured this was Shawn. She focused all of her energy on the image of Shawn's loving gaze. She blocked out Marcus' wolfish grin. She blocked out Kenny's presence. She had to block it out. All of it.   
  
Marcus watched as her pants dropped and he held in a gasp. He felt warm and tried to control himself. This was too much. Shit, she was hotter than he thought. He was going into a daze.   
  
Her hands lingered above his shoulders as she twisted her hips more seductively. Her hands touched his hair. It was grimy and gelled.   
  
Marcus heard a noise and snapped out of his daze. He tried to look over her shoulder when she fiercely grabbed his head in her hands. She instantly made her decision. Her mouth dove down on his. She ran her tongue smoothly over his chapped lips and moaned as he opened his mouth. This was all for a good cause she reminded herself. She worked up the energy as she sucked his tongue. She hoped she wouldn't vomit in his mouth. She could feel him getting excited.   
  
Marcus jumped as Angela ground on his lap. Her hands were everywhere all of a sudden. Maybe Shawn wouldn't be such a problem after all. She grasped his hips. His eyes bugged out. She was something. Damn.   
  
*****  
  
Shawn ignored Angela and Marcus. He looked at Kenny. Now was the opportunity. Maybe the only chance for both of them. Kenny nodded at him. Kenny was the only one who could do this.   
  
*****  
  
Kenny was quivering so bad he nearly shitted on himself. He watched as Angela captivated every bit of Marcus' being.   
  
He stood and inched his way over to the table. He had to take a stand against his brother. He couldn't let his brother murder anybody else.   
  
Marcus sensed a shadow and with one swift movement pushed Angela to the ground. What he saw astonished him.   
  
He saw Kenny lunge for the gun.   
  
They both reached for it at the same time.   
  
Marcus scratched at Kenny. His own brother was betraying him. This time, however, Kenny fought back with force. The gun seemed to take turns bouncing between the two. The fight took on a more intense feel. They both hit the ground as the gun was high in the air, then on the floor, then back into the air.   
  
Legs kicked and fingers clawed desperately while control of the weapon still remained undecided.   
  
Angela took the time to run over to Shawn and remove his chains with the key she had gotten from Marcus' pocket. She knew that was what Shawn had hoped she would do.   
  
"You okay?"   
  
"Yeah, let's get out of here." Shawn heard the anxiety in Angela's voice. They both bolted for the door. Shawn with a slight limp and Angela in nothing but her underwear.   
  
Marcus finally got control of the gun and stood. Kenny jumped in mid-air.   
  
*****  
  
Angela and Shawn were near the door when two shots rang out. Shock could be found on all four faces as two bodies fell in a bloody heap to the ground.   
  
*****  
  
A/N: Well, I'm not going to lie, I don't like this chapter at all. It took me so long to write, which is not normal. I hope the next chapter is much better.   
  
I've been very ill and I guess that's affecting the outcome of my writing. *sigh* Well, stay tune to see who got shot. : )  
  
Oh btw, I did originally plan for Angela's father to play a key role in this chapter. I originally had him showing up at the end of the last chapter, but when I expanded the chapter, I took him physically out. 


	11. Ruby Red

Disclaimer: I don't own BMW characters  
  
A/N: I thank you guys for being patient with me. The reviews have been very encouraging.   
  
I'm not going to lie, I absolutely hate chapter 10. I think I really went on a rabbit trail with the style of this story in the last chapter; so I'm going to try to bring it back on course with the previous chapters. Bear with me. I've started this chapter at least four times and decided to go with this route.   
  
Chapter 11: Ruby Red  
  
*****  
  
The air held a slight chill as Sheila scanned the old house. This was the last one. The only one left before both her and Joe would have to give up hope of tracking them down. They were already stretching their bounds legally. The Chief, as they called him, had radioed them after they left the first house, but Joe had convinced him that they may be near a break.   
  
Sheila sighed as she released her seatbelt. This was pretty far away, but it was her last hope. She could only imagine how Angela and Shawn, if he was still alive, were feeling. All of those old feelings of failure were starting to rise again. Sheila hadn't failed at anything for quite awhile. Nothing she would consider a bonifide failure anyway. This is why she still held onto the notion that both of them were alive. If bodies turned up she wasn't sure what she would end up doing. She hadn't felt so close to a case in her entire time as an officer.   
  
"You ready?"   
  
Sheila nodded and squinted at the yellow-ish paint. It probably was originally white, but had been weathered by age. Both officers exited the vehicle. Sheila crossed her fingers under her jacket.   
  
*****  
  
'No, No, No'. This had gone way too far. Marcus hit his head with his fists in frustration. It wasn't supposed to be like this. He closed his eyes to drown out the picture. He had been a fool, no, he was still a fool. He should have killed the boy at the garage.   
  
"Shawn," Marcus spat, finally deciding the matter was too serious to use his nickname for Shawn.   
  
"Yes?" Marcus noticed the paleness of the boy. That wasn't the only thing he noticed though. Shawn was covered in blood. Most of it was dried, but his hands were tainted with fresh red liquid.   
  
"How is she?"   
  
"She's a little better. She needs a doctor."   
  
Marcus closed his eyes tight and then re-opened them. "I know she needs a doctor," he proclaimed through gritted teeth.   
  
Kenny sat in the corner nursing a bloodied leg. He had never been in so much pain in his life, but by the look of it, Angela was in much more than he was. If Marcus hadn't been pre-occupied with Angela's injuries, he was sure to finish what he had started with Kenny.   
  
"She's going to lose consciousness soon." Shawn was trying to get Angela help quietly, but he was starting to panic. The hole in her shoulder had finally stopped gushing, but no telling what her internal injuries were. What surprised him was the scream Marcus let loose when Angela jumped in front of him. That had surprised him as well. 'She took a bullet for me. I should be dead right now, but she jumped in front of me.' Shawn couldn't stop marveling at her sacrifice. He looked at her face.   
  
"Shawn?"   
  
Shawn sat up. "Yes."   
  
"I don't know if I can stay awake much longer," she whispered clutching vainly at the blood-stained sheets. She clutched as if it would relieve the pain.   
  
He grasped her hand. "You have to Angela."   
  
She gathered her energy and focused on Shawn.   
  
Marcus walked over to them, shoving Shawn out of the way. "Angela." His heart burned when she looked at him and closed her eyes. She strained to turn her head away from him.   
  
His vulnerability turned to anger. He reached over and jerked her head towards him, despite the obvious pain he knew it would inflict. He was sorry he had shot her, but he wasn't going to just let her blow him off, not again, not ever again. He had went through great pains to pull this off and he wasn't about to let her go. Especially not now. This made them even more connected.   
  
"Hey, hey, don't do that."   
  
Marcus turned to see Shawn glaring at him with a fury that he never would have suspected the boy could have. Frankly, the boy had been a bigger wimp than his brother... up until now.   
  
"Listen, I'm in control here and if you don't shut up, you're going to be lying beside her, except you're going to be more than unconscious."   
  
"I don't care! Don't move her like that. Can't you see she's in pain or are you just so selfish that you can't see anything but what you want. She didn't ask to be here you know. You just came into her life and ruined it."   
  
Marcus stared at the boy. Normally, he would have been in awe of his courage, that is, if the boy's words hadn't inflammed him so much.   
  
"Is that right? Well, at least I have the balls to go for what I want, unlike you, Boy." He slurred the last word to make it seem more insulting.   
  
"For to be somebody so in love, you know nothing about it." Shawn shook his head in pity. Cory had been right. He had been running away from love so much and he couldn't even see it until this creep came into his life. In twenty-four hours he had learned more lessons in love then he had in his whole lifetime.   
  
Marcus stomped up to the table and grabbed the gun. This love-sick fool had gotten on his last nerve. It was time to silence him for forever. He turned to face Shawn.   
  
"Well, boy, whether I know about love or not, I do know that Angela will be my wife and I'm afraid to inform you that you have been crossed off the guest list." His finger touched the trigger softly and his face shined with glee. "And give my regards to Johnny boy."   
  
Shawn closed his eyes preparing for a blow to the chest.   
  
"FREEZE!"   
  
*****  
  
Joe couldn't believe their luck. When they had arrived on the property it seemed to be another dead end. That was until he had entered the odd green kitchen with the beady eyes of bright cardinals gazing at him. In that strange sanctuary lie a pitcher of kool-aid. Kool-aid that had a large water ring under it. For it to look so abandoned on the outside, it was obvious that it had been recently occupied. He was going to go tell Sheila the news when he saw her running towards the house. She had decided to scan the woods.   
  
"There's a van a little ways in." She gulped for breath. She had run the entire way back.   
  
"Yeah," Officer Joe pulled his gun from his holster. "Someone's been drinking some kool-aid too. They couldn't have gotten too far."   
  
Sheila nodded her agreement and unleased the hold of the restraint on her holster as she also drew out her weapon.   
  
They had walked as quickly and quietly as they could, almost running. They passed a railroad track about ten minutes into their adventure. And then bingo, a shack stood, but that wasn't what caught their attention. The light blaring out of it was. That and yelling. Two people obviously fighting even though neither officer could make out who it was or what they were saying.   
  
******  
  
Shawn had never been more relieved to see the police show up then he was at this exact moment.   
  
He also was delighted by the look on Marcus' face. It was morphed into a look of shock.   
  
"I said put the gun down, son. Don't make me shoot you."   
  
Marcus barely blinked as he swung the gun towards Joe. "I'm not going back," he cried out.   
  
"You don't have to go back, son, but put the gun down."   
  
"You're lying! All you police do is lie."   
  
"That's not true. I'm not going to ask you again. Put the gun down."   
  
Marcus knew they were lying. They had been all of his life. If he surrendered then he would go back into a cell, but this time, this time, he would go away for awhile. He would be tried as an adult now. And with all of these testimonies, he was bound to be gone for twenty, twenty-five, maybe even life. This was it.   
  
Two shots rang out. Marcus opened his eyes in horror as Kenny lay in front of him. The gun slipped out of his hand as he fell to his knees. "NO! Kenny, NO." His brother had limped in front of him and took his bullets. Twice tonight he had seen the wrong person shot.   
  
Blood coated his hands as he banged on his brother's chest. He didn't even get a chance to say goodbye or that he was sorry. So very sorry for everything he had put him through.   
  
He was in a haze as he was pushed to the ground and cuffed. He had lost Kenny and Angela. At the thought of Angela he looked back to see the woman officer leaning over her talking.   
  
"Okay, son, let's go." He felt hot tears leak from his face as he was lifted from the ground.  
  
*****  
  
Shawn sat beside the hospital bed and watched the I.V bag drip down into the small tube attached to Angela's fragile hand. Angela always looked so strong. This was the first time he actually felt she might break. How could he have not told her he still cared for her? Everyone thought he was so unbreakable, but inside he was just waiting for someone to give him the love he needed. The problem was Angela had loved him. Loved him like no other person he had known. That was a major reason he had insisted on having space. He wasn't used to that kind of love and the few people who had came close to that level of loving him had left. He needed to leave her before she left him. Running. That was something he was familiar with. Granted it was usually him watching as others ran, but he was familiar with it none the less.   
  
He sighed as the clock ticking on the wall seemed to fill the silence with it's annoying ring. Topanga, Cory, Eric, Jack and Rachel had just left and Mr. Feeny had phoned to say he would be by soon. But at this moment he was alone in keeping her vigil. If only she would wake up and speak with him. Then he would know it was all going to be okay.   
  
*****  
  
A/N: I won't call this a good chapter because to me it's not. But I do feel it was getting the story back on track. And I have the next chapter in mind so I can thankfully say it won't be nearly as long before I update again. And it will be back to more BMW characters in it. The major BMW character here was Shawn. I just felt like it should be focused that way. Oh, and R.I.P to Kenny. :( 


	12. Rust Red

Disclaimer: Okay, by now, no one thinks I own BMW, so I don't think it needs repeating.   
  
A/N: What can I say? The reviews have been great and you guys have continued to review despite my delays. Thanks again.   
  
Again, I believe this is complete Alternative Universe. Angela isn't in Europe and Topanga and Cory have not yet went to New York.   
  
Chapter 12: Rust Red  
  
*****  
  
Curls of steam swirled out of the tall cups. The liquid splashed around in it's styrofoam prison until it reached the table. The waitress smiled as she lowered the cups of caffienated liquid in front of the waiting trio.   
  
"So what's this surprise Shawn's been cooking up? He refuses to tell me." She looked first at Topanga who made a zipping motion across her lips and then to Cory who held his hands up.   
  
"I wish I could tell you, but Shawn's sworn us to secrecy and I think he might just hurt us if we told you." Cory picked up his coffee and took a sip.   
  
"Yes, I'm afraid he's threatened us with bodily harm this time." Topanga smiled at her friend, really looking at the glowing face that stared back. Topanga couldn't help but smile bigger. Just to think, her friend had been strapped to tubes and fighting for her life almost five months ago. They had just graduated from college two months ago and it was great to see Angela walk down the aisle and receive her diploma without that annoying brace she had had to wear.   
  
"Well, whatever it is, he needs to hurry. I'm dying here."   
  
Cory started to respond but stopped when a group of teenagers entered the room. It was clearly poetry night at Barter's and Cory, Topanga and Angela were in their usual places. They were seated in cozy blue lounge chairs around a low, oversized coffee table. Most of the poetry lounge looked this way except for a few tall tables and matching tall chairs located near the back. The area wasn't really separate from the cafe, but it had it's own spot away from the silver coffee bar and worn book shelves.   
  
Angela looked down anxiously at her purse. Whatever surprise it was, everyone knew but her. She took a breath and looked around the room. Memories washed over her. From the moment she woke up, everyone had immediately gotten on her nerves asking her if she would like this or that. Shawn had been the most annoying, although he was also the most charming. Even Eric had been coming around more.   
  
Everything was off-kilter. News vans parking outside of their dorms had prompted several long visits from her father. That was bitter-sweet. Bitter because of the circumstances, but sweet because of his presence. If anything good did come out of it, it was the frequency of his visits.   
  
And Shawn coming by more often hadn't hurt either. He continuously reminded her of her "sacrifice" as he called it, but she knew he would have done the same thing. Taking that bullet hadn't been a well thought out process, but one that consisted of love.   
  
Their relationship hadn't gotten immediately on course. Things were still rough around the edges at times, but they were finally working through it. Together. It was no longer one-sided.   
  
And then there was Marcus. She frowned at the thought of him. He hadn't disappeared, not one bit. If he was right about anything, it had been that they were now attached. Reporters constantly asked her how her ordeal had been and then there was the trial. The preliminary had gone fairly well, but the prosecutor had said she might have to face him in court. Even though she wasn't bound by him anymore, an indescribable fear settled over the thought of seeing him.  
  
The letters hadn't stopped either. He still wrote her love letters. Long, drawn out, frightening letters. Ones where he promised their future was not yet shattered. He promised to come back for her so that they could be together. Every time she read one of them, she just wanted to pick up a blasted gun and aim at his head. That scared her too. Such violent thoughts. Ones she had never dreamed of having before. And she couldn't even use the letters in court. They had been ruled inadmissible. That angered her a little, but there was nothing she could do about it.   
  
And there was the matter of her shoulder. She hadn't mentioned it to many people, but surgery had been deemed necessary by her doctor. It had certainly left her in pain many a night. All of this because of some guy. At least she knew she could call Sheila if she needed to. The woman had been a God-send in the last couple of months. She never knew...  
  
"Angela? Angela? Earth to Angela." Topanga stood in front of Angela waving her hand frantically in front of her friend's face.   
  
"Huh? What?"  
  
"I said would you like a refill? I'm going to go get one before open mic starts."   
  
"Oh, no. I'm good. Thanks." Angela noticed the worried look on Topanga's face. "I'm okay. I swear."  
  
Topanga said nothing, but rounded the corner in search of another frothy fix. Angela followed her friend with her eyes, reluctant to turn them towards Cory. Cory ignored her discomfort and broke the silence.   
  
"Are you really okay, Angela?"   
  
She sighed. She was constantly answering this question. She smiled. "Yes, Cory. I am fine."   
  
"Okay, because if you need me..."  
  
"I know. I know. I can always talk to you." She finished for him.   
  
"I know you're saying that, but I'm concerned about you Angela. Not many people can live through what you have and not talk about it."   
  
"I'm fine, Cory. I appreciate your concern, but I'm fine."   
  
He looked at her closely.   
  
"I guess I'm just nervous about Shawn's surprise."   
  
They were interrupted by Topanga's return. The room had filled up almost to capacity and there was still no Shawn. Angela looked around for him. It wasn't like him to be late.   
  
A man wearing a tacky Hawaiian shirt and thin cargo shorts stood. Angela was about to ask Cory if they should give him a call when the man spoke into the microphone.   
  
"Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to Poetry Open Mic Night at Barter's. Give a round of applause for our first poet, Shawn Hunter."   
  
Angela's mouth opened slightly. Everyone knew Shawn kept his poetry to himself. He enjoyed writing for personal reasons and although he had turned into an amazing writer, he seldom shared his most private work with anyone, not even her.   
  
The lights in the room dimmed just a bit and Shawn came nervously into view. She noticed that he wasn't dressed exactly casual. He wasn't a dress up kind of person, but he was wearing a nicer pair of pants and one of her favorite sweaters. What was going on here?   
  
He walked to the microphone, holding his arms stiffly as he reached for the microphone stand. "Ladies and Gentlemen, I have something important to say and I hope you will bear with me. I'm not the best speaker and I don't like to express my emotions out in the open much, so this is kinda difficult for me."   
  
A few people responded for him to take his time. He grabbed the notebook he had laid on a chair near the stage and gazed into the crowd. The room wasn't big, but it was crowded and he wanted to be sure that his point was made clear.   
  
"I wrote this poem a few months ago; when my girlfriend was in the hospital. Angela, this is for you. It's a little dark, but it expresses how I feel."   
  
Cory and Topanga both looked at a surprised Angela and hid knowing smiles.   
  
"Our love flows through our blood.  
  
It pulses under the skin.  
  
It feels us up.  
  
When we look at each other,   
  
We cause that love to bubble.  
  
Our veins buzz with our stares.  
  
It's not just a glance between friends.  
  
It's a filling of the soul.   
  
When we are apart and   
  
that intimacy split,  
  
our veins become cold and blue.  
  
Our emotions cut through our skin  
  
and make our love flow from us in pools.  
  
It drips the life out of us   
  
because we are really meant to be one.   
  
We must seal this hurt  
  
allowing the love itself to heal these wounds.   
  
To wipe away the red sediment   
  
that has collected and dried into rust.   
  
We must wipe it clean.  
  
We must make it new.   
  
So that this love can run  
  
between us like it used to."   
  
The room was silent as Shawn grabbed the microphone from it's stand and walked into the audience.   
  
Angela seemed to be holding her breath unconsciously as Shawn approached.   
  
He reached her seat and took her hand, lifting her from her seat. "Angela, will you marry me?"   
  
The room seemed to buzz a little. Angela looked down at Shawn kneeling before her with a shiny ring blinding her from the glare it projected from the overhead lights. Her tongue caught and she shook her head back and forth. The crowd took it has a 'no' and Shawn's face fell. Then her mouth finally allowed her to speak.   
  
"Yes, of course."   
  
Shawn's grin reappeared, but even brighter. The room clapped and some people whistled as Shawn and Angela embraced.   
  
*****  
  
"I still can't believe we missed Shawn proposing to Angela. Of all the times for the car to run out of gas."   
  
Jack pulled his tie off and kept his back towards Rachel as she droned on about missing Shawn's proposal. "Yeah," he answered. Of course he knew it was no accident, but Rachel hadn't even suspected.   
  
The last thing he wanted to do was see Angela married to Shawn. He couldn't tell anyone that though. Everyone expected him to be happy with Rachel and he was, but it was different. When he had found out his little brother was proposing he had purposely arranged for the car to "run out of gas".   
  
And what was worse was that Angela refused to talk about it. She refused to talk about what they had shared. If it had been more than a kiss, she wasn't letting on, that was for sure. He had refrained from bogging her down with the discussion right after she had gotten out of the hospital. He knew the last thing she needed was to have to talk about one more confusing thing. But, for the last few weeks, he had tried cornering and she had managed to allude him each time. He was a little upset that he might be the only one who had taken the kiss seriously.   
  
"We'll have to get Shawn to read us the poem he read her."   
  
"Yeah." He turned to see her staring strangely at him.   
  
"What's wrong, Jack? You haven't seemed thrilled about this proposal at all." There was suspicion in her voice.   
  
He smiled slightly. "Oh, you know how Shawn is. I hope he doesn't hurt her."   
  
"Why would he hurt her? He loves her, Jack." She grinned and walked up to him. She leaned down and nestled her face into his neck. "Like you love me, right?"   
  
"Sure," he said as enthusiastically as he could. He reached up and slowly pulled her arms from around him. "It's just that Shawn isn't used to being committed to anyone or anything."   
  
Rachel frowned and studied him. "This is really bothering you, isn't it?"  
  
Jack looked up at her. He knew he had to play it careful here. If he let too much out, it could be disastrous. "Yeah, Dad said we should take care of each other. I don't want anything bad to happen to him and Angela is our friend. She's been through so much. That's all."   
  
He hadn't seemed very convincing to himself, but must have appeased Rachel because the frown disappeared and she gave him a kiss on the cheek. "You're a good guy, Jack, but they'll be okay." She turned to reach for her brush on her vanity.   
  
It was Jack's turn to frown. Not if he had anything to do with it.   
  
*****  
  
The poem here is a bit dark and it was written awhile ago. Back when I was first planning this story and had just a basic idea of how I wanted it to go. I hope it still manages to fit with this chapter. I don't claim to be a good poet either. Poetry is my weakest form of writing, so feel free to criticize it by pointing fingers and laughing. The only poetry I write is usually hidden in mounds of notebooks for no eye to look upon.   
  
Also, this story is ending in the next Chapter. The chapter will be called Beet Red and I do have a sequel (I couldn't leave it just like this) planned entitled Blue Hues. So stay tuned. 


	13. Beet Red

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the BMW characters  
  
A/N: I copped out. I started researching some law things and whoa! The Internet gives you a huge run-around. I couldn't find much of what I was ultimately looking for so I guess all those episodes of Law and Order and The Practice will have to do. Sorry guys.   
  
Also, I didn't write the prosecution's testimony side. I thought it would be too wordy and I liked the affect it has this way. Although, both sides have closing arguments.   
  
I'm also glad to say this is my last chapter as previously mentioned. I want to thank each of you guys who read this story. It has been a lot of fun reading all the reviews. I hope you guys have enjoyed the journey as much as I have. It has been great fun. To the final chapter. : )  
  
/////: Indicates a flashback  
  
Chapter 13: Beet Red  
  
*****   
  
Sheila Crown sat nervously awaiting the closing arguments. It seemed that nothing about this trial had gone the way they had hoped.  
  
/////  
  
The lawyer paced slowly and deliberately in front of Sheila. Sheila could feel her anger boiling and wrestled to keep it under the surface.   
  
"So you're saying, Officer Crown, that your chief had asked you to call your search off and you didn't?"   
  
"Yes, but..."  
  
"But what, Officer Crown? You are supposed to make sure that citizens uphold the law, aren't you?"  
  
"Yes."   
  
The lawyer strutted confidently near the jury box. "But how can you expect Mr. Hennings to uphold the law when you yourself didn't follow it?"   
  
She walked back towards Sheila.  
  
Sheila's anger started to pick up again.   
  
"If we had upheld the law, as you put it, then there would have been more dead bodies."   
  
"Oh, really? Isn't that more of an assumption? Did you or did you not watch as your partner fired into an innocent bystander, who also happens to be Mr. Hennings' brother?"  
  
"The boy jumped in front of Marcus at the last second. It was too late for Joe to back down."   
  
"So, that's why he was shot twice by Officer Berry?"   
  
"Marcus was pointing the gun at Joe. Joe asked Mr. Hennings to put the gun down and he did not comply."   
  
The lawyer walked to her table, put her hand on it and leaned elegantly and carefree on the smooth wood.   
  
"Okay, you say that Marcus was pointing the gun at your partner, but this doesn't justify why he fired twice. Did Marcus shoot at him between the first and second shots?"   
  
Sheila could see where this was going. "No. No he did not," she replied miserably.   
  
"Then why do you think your partner, the one who supposedly is so 'fair' by the prosecution's definition, shot at Mr. Hennings twice?"   
  
"I don't know." Sheila fidgeted. She could see Joe and Angela out of the corner of her eye. Both of them looked sick.   
  
"You don't know? Could it have been because he wanted to kill my client?"   
  
Sheila shook her head. "No! That wasn't it at all."  
  
"But I thought you just said that you didn't know why he did it."   
  
"I did, but what I mean..."  
  
"What do you mean? You've been a cop for about five years now, correct?"   
  
"Yes."   
  
"And you've been to court before, haven't you?"  
  
"Yes."   
  
"Then how come you seem so nervous? Hmm? Could it be that you know what you and Officer Berry did was illegal? You and your 'good' partner did something illegal and now an innocent man is dead and another one, my client, is on trial?"   
  
"That's not the case here."   
  
"So when your partner was gleefully firing those bullets into Mr. Hennings' brother that was not the case?"   
  
"OBJECTION, your honor." The prosecutor stood and eyed the judge impatiently.   
  
"Counselor, you better tread lighter." The judge looked at the woman with a glare. "The jury will strike the last phrase."   
  
"No further questions, your honor."   
  
/////  
  
Ever since then things had went down hill. Sheila now sat in between Angela and Joe.   
  
*****  
  
Joe sat calmly but inside he worried. He was so sure this was going to be an open and close case. How wrong he had been.   
  
/////  
  
"So, Joe. May I call you Joe?"   
  
"Yes."   
  
"Okay, so Joe, when you arrived on the scene and found the water pitcher, did you call for back-up?"   
  
"No."   
  
"Hmm. How about when you were walking towards the house in the woods?"   
  
"No."   
  
"So you're telling me that you went into the woods-after what you suspected to be an armed man-with no back-up?"   
  
"Yes."   
  
"Why?"   
  
"I thought, between Sheila and I, we could handle the suspect."   
  
"Oh, so you were positive it was Mr. Hennings?"   
  
"Yes."   
  
"Then why was half of the station looking for somebody else?"   
  
"I don't know."   
  
"You don't know? Seems between you and your partner, you don't know too much. Why, after you subdued the defendant, did you not immediately call for back-up or somebody to canvas the area for more suspects? Isn't that what you are supposed to do?"   
  
"Yes, but there were injuries. Both Sheila and I decided it would be best to call for the ambulance first."   
  
"So you ignored protocol altogether, Officer Berry? You not only disobeyed your chief, but you ignored protocol. Let's say there were five armed people, how would you have explained that?"   
  
"I don't know. If it happened, I'm sure I would have an explanation."   
  
"Ahh, but an explanation is not the truth, it's just a statement. Are you telling the truth, Officer Berry?"   
  
"Yes."   
  
"You said that mighty quickly."   
  
"You're accusing me of lying," he said in anger.   
  
"But isn't that exactly what you accused Mr. Hennings' uncle when you visited his house after Angela's disappearance?"   
  
"No. I never did that."   
  
"But you must have, even if it wasn't to his face. Why else would you have ignored his plea to stop harassing his nephew if you didn't think he was a liar?"   
  
"Because his daughter..."  
  
"Or so you and your partner say. When Sera Hennings was on the stand she said she couldn't recall ever telling you that. Somebody's lying and I don't think it's her. You do realize that lying is a federal offense, don't you?"  
  
"Yes," Joe spat bitterly.   
  
"Then who is telling the truth?"   
  
/////  
  
Joe could sense Sheila's fear. They both were in some deep trouble because of one boy and they still might not win the case. He prayed the prosecution lawyer's closing argument was good.   
  
*****  
  
Heat rose from Shawn. This trial had been the worse thing in his life since his father died. It had been nothing but a media driven circus show and he could tell that Marcus enjoyed ever single bit of it. He thought back to yesterday.   
  
/////  
  
"So you entered into a club that you weren't supposed to be at?"   
  
"Yes."   
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because there was no other way to reach Kenny."   
  
"But you couldn't have called? Did you even try, Mr. Hunter?"   
  
"No."   
  
"So you broke into a club, snatched Mr. Hennings' brother and forced him to ride with you?"  
  
"I didn't force him to do anything." Shawn gripped his fingers together in his lap.   
  
"Okay, but you did get him to take you to where Mr. Hennings was, right?"   
  
"Yes."   
  
"Why?"   
  
"Because Marcus had left a message on my answering machine."   
  
"But it was for Angela. If you were so concerned why did you not wait on the cops?"  
  
"I was upset. Marcus had been harassing Angela so I wanted to find him before he could do anything to her."   
  
"But by doing this, you only made it worse for her. That is what you wrote in your statement. Seriously, tell me why, Mr. Hunter. Was it because your girlfriend had found somebody else? Somebody more masculine? Somebody more able to suit her needs?"   
  
"NO!"   
  
My, Mr. Hunter, you sure did get upset just now. Isn't that how you provoked Marcus into shooting at you?"  
  
"No."   
  
"But, in your statement you said you wanted to take a bullet so Angela wouldn't have to. What did you mean, exactly?"   
  
"I didn't want Angela to have to do what that creep said. I would have rather been dead then let him use me as a pawn."   
  
"A pawn? But weren't you already a pawn in Ms. Moore's game against Marcus?"   
  
"No."   
  
"No? But how did you know that Marcus wasn't her boyfriend and her 'kidnapper'-as you put it-wasn't somebody else? You were going on her word, right?"   
  
"Yeah."   
  
"Let me ask you something. Has Angela ever lied to you?"   
  
"Well, no."   
  
"Seriously, Mr. Hunter? Boyfriends and Girlfriends lie to each other all the time. There is no chance that she ever lied to you?"   
  
Shawn squinted in thought. "No."   
  
"But you didn't answer quite as quickly as before. Why is that, Mr. Hunter?"   
  
"I was thinking it through."   
  
"But if she never lied, why would you have to think so hard?"   
  
/////  
  
Shawn held onto Angela's hand and gave it a slight squeeze. He could see the terror in her eyes.   
  
*****  
  
Angela sat stiffly in her seat. Through all the preparations she was still made to look like the one who antagonized in this trial. Of course the prosecution had warned her of this very thing, but she still couldn't believe it until the defense attorney had made her look like such a fool.   
  
/////  
  
"So, Ms. Moore, before Marcus extended his hand of welcome, you were single?"   
  
Angela almost snorted at that. "Hand of welcome?" she thought. More like hand of molestation, but she kept this thought to herself. Her attorney had told her to just answer the questions. If she answered them straight it would be harder for the lawyer to twist her words around.   
  
It was quite evident that this lawyer was a professional at using someone's words against them. Sheila had just shook her head after her testimony, moaning that she had messed up.   
  
"Yes, I was."   
  
"So when you went to meet Mr. Hennings, did you find him attractive?"   
  
Angela could feel Marcus' gaze settling on her and she kept from looking his way.   
  
"I guess."  
  
"I guess? Answer the question, yes or no."  
  
Yes."  
  
"And did you not agree to let him walk you down to your car the first time you two met?"   
  
"Yes." Angela had a sinking feeling. She had watched this lawyer badger the witnesses continuously and she knew she was falling into the same category.   
  
"And if he kissed you like you said he did, and I quote, 'He held me down and refused to let me go.' If he really did that, then why didn't you tell anyone?"  
  
"I was scared."   
  
"But why? You didn't know him. Why be scared?"  
  
"He just didn't seem like the kind of person you messed with."   
  
"Ahh, or is it that you willingly kissed him? Got him all fired up and then decided to leave him teased and confused. Isn't that a more accurate description of what happened?"  
  
"NO!" Angela's eyes widened.   
  
"Objection, your honor. This is all he said, she said. No one, not even the defense counsel, can say what happened that night."   
  
"I agree. Counsel re-direct." The judge peered over his small framed glasses.   
  
"Okay. Okay, Ms. Moore, you say in your statement that you saw him after that. Why didn't you report it?"   
  
"Because when I reported the letters school security dismissed it."   
  
"Yes, but that is school security. What about the police? Did you ever call them?"  
  
"No."   
  
"So, you waited until somebody set your dorm on fire to call them? Oh wait, you never called them, did you?"   
  
"No." Angela knew that had been a mistake.  
  
"Why, Ms. Moore? If you were being harassed and feared for your life as you say, then why wouldn't you call the police? No, I know. Maybe it was because you weren't being harassed at all. Maybe it's because you liked the attention my client was showing you and you decided to jerk him around like a lap dog. Maybe after breaking up with Mr. Hunter you were so desperate to find someone else that you decided to jerk around the first person who showed interest in you."   
  
"That is not it at all." She could see the smile that Marcus was wearing out of the corner of her eye. He was excited to see this exchange and Angela felt sick. They had dismissed John's murder as self-defense and now, if the trial kept going this way, they would be letting him go for this too."   
  
"Let me ask you something, Ms. Moore. Do you miss your dad?"  
  
Angela looked at the counselor in confusion. "Well, yeah."  
  
"Yeah. I used to miss my father when he went away on long trips. And when he was gone, I would wish even more for male companionship. Isn't that what this all boils down to? A father is gone, a boyfriend is no where in sight and an admiring and attractive-as you admitted earlier-guy shows interest? Or maybe this was all a plot to make Mr. Hunter jealous. You two are engaged now, correct?"   
  
"Yes."  
  
"Congratulations." The woman tossed her dark hair from over her eyes and smiled as if she cared. This made Angela's dislike for her transform into a slight hatred. "But before this confrontation with Mr. Hennings, you were apart, right?"   
  
"Yes."   
  
"So what do you think made Mr. Hunter change his mind?"   
  
"I don't know. I guess he realized that we were right for each other."   
  
"Ahh, yes, but seems he was a little blind until after the confrontation, hmm?"  
  
"I don't know."   
  
"Yes. Of course, you don't. That is the phrase of this trial. The phrase of the prosecution....'I don't know.' No further questions."   
  
/////  
  
Angela shook with the memory. Nothing had turned her life upside down like this. Not her break-up with Shawn, not her father moving everywhere, not even her mom leaving. Shoot, even the kidnapping itself had been less strenuous now that she thought about it.   
  
She had also made the mistake of glancing at Marcus when she left the stand. He looked at her with a predatory glint and followed her every move with his eyes as she took her seat. What a disaster. Now she could only look on.   
  
*****  
  
The prosecutor stood in front of the jury box, eyeing each member of the jury before starting.   
  
"Ladies and Gentlemen, I know that this has been a tiring trial. One which you all may dream of and may carry with you for the rest of your lives. The Defense wants you to think that Marcus Hennings was some kind of victim. Yes, Mr. Hennings suffered as a child. Yes, he got pushed around and picked on, but what if every person who was mistreated as a child did what Mr. Hennings did? The courts would not be able to hold all the cases. The defense wants you to think that my client jerked the defendant around, but what really happened is that the defendant came unsuspectingly into my client's life and turned it upside down. He terrorized her and made her fearful for her life. My client is the one who has really suffered. She now has to have surgery for something the defendant did. If he loved her so much, then why did he shoot her?   
  
"The Defense would also like you to believe that Officers Sheila Crown and Joe Berry were negligent and had an agenda, but as Officer Crown said, how many more people would we be mourning today, if they hadn't done what they did? Would we even have Mr. Hunter or Ms. Moore here to testify?   
  
"Ladies and Gentlemen think if this were your child. If this were your daughter or your niece or your sister, cousin, or even your friend, could you find the defendant anything but guilty?"   
  
The lawyer walked over to the seats and pointed to Angela. "This young lady has suffered, is still suffering and will always suffer, but you, ladies and gentlemen, can ease some of that pain. You can give her back some of her life. You, the jury, have the chance to make things better. You would be no different than the defendant if you didn't."   
  
The prosecutor straightened his tie and sat down. He had spoken with confidence and conviction, but deep down he was worried about how this would end. The trial had taken so many unexpected turns. He almost winced as he heard the slick tap of Patricia Newman's shoes. He knew that the Hennings would get the best. Rich people always did. But he never expected it to his nemesis. He watched as she swayed her hips gently and moved to the box.   
  
*****  
  
"Ladies and Gentlemen, the prosecution wants you to believe that Angela Moore is some kind of victim. Let me tell you something, she is not. She is a manipulator and a user. She used my client for her personal gain. And now that she has what she wants, she's moving on. She's leaving my client stranded and out in the dirt. She willingly met him that night. She willingly kissed him and she was willingly going along with him the day of her supposed kidnapping.   
  
"Now, my client isn't afraid to admit he's made mistakes and he isn't afraid to admit that he shouldn't have went about his plans the way he did, but he is not guilty of what the prosecution claims. If he is guilty of anything, it is following his heart and falling into the clutches of a lonely girl.   
  
"Who is guilty? How about everyone that the prosecution used as witnesses. Shawn Hunter admitted that he entered a club illegally. How credible is he when he is a criminal himself. And Sheila Crown and Joe Berry? They should be on trial instead of my client. They repeatedly failed to follow the law. What these officers did cost Mr. Hennings his brother and they want you to believe that Ms. Moore is the victim? No, ladies and gentlemen, the finger pointing has led to Marcus Hennings because everyone else is to blame. If you don't stop the chain of events and find my client innocent then you will be continuing the cycle that Ms. Moore and her cohorts have put into place. If you have any doubts, and with the prosecution's case there are lots of them, then you can not live with putting an innocent man away. Time after time the prosecution's witnesses have said they do not know! If they do not know, then you can't know for sure either. Do the right thing and find my client innocent."   
  
Patricia Newman smirked as she passed by Todd Beleger. Todd gritted his teeth. Damn. Sometimes he hated being a prosecutor.   
  
*****  
  
Silence settled neatly over the courtroom. It had been two days. Two days, thought Angela. Todd had assured her that juries often took a long time when it came to cases such as these. Especially when Marcus was being tried on four counts.   
  
Angela watched as the jury filed in. The bailiff handed the paper to the judge and the judge scanned it for a minute before nodding slightly. The giant of a judge lifted his meaty arms to hand the paper back to the bailiff. The bailiff crossed the floor again and handed the paper back to the spokesperson for the jury.   
  
*****  
  
Marcus had kept his cool up until now. Now, his heart thumped harshly against his chest. His breathing was shallow and his eyes seemed to be out of focus. He heard Patricia ask if he was okay, but all he could do is nod.   
  
"Will the Defense stand," the judge commanded rather than questioned.   
  
Marcus and Patricia stood.   
  
The judge looked back at the jury. "What say you?"   
  
The spokesperson-a nervous little man with a few hairs left on his balding head and his shoulders weighed with some invisible weight-cleared his throat and proceeded.   
  
The pounding became almost unbearable and Marcus had to remember to breath or else he knew he would be lying in the floor soon.   
  
"We, the jury of the commonwealth of Pennsylvania, on the count of attempted rape find the defendant not guilty."   
  
Marcus held in a sigh of relief.   
  
"On the count of kidnapping-not guilty."   
  
There was an audible gasp.   
  
"On the count of attempted murder-not guilty."   
  
Marcus felt his shoulders relax a bit and his breathing resumed it's normal operation.   
  
"On the count of aggravated assault-guilty."   
  
Marcus looked up. He had been up for that before. He couldn't believe his luck. At the most he'd get a year or two. That normally wasn't something somebody celebrated, but as opposed to life, he felt his breath fill and he couldn't help but look at Angela.   
  
His eye caught hers and he felt his mouth turn in an upward motion. His eyes searched hers and saw the fear radiating from them. Then as soon as it had registered, the damn boy was grabbing her hand and leading her away.   
  
His mind was jubilant. 'Angela, Angela, Angela, you better watch out baby'.   
  
*****  
  
Luther Vandross crooned as Sheila downed another glass of wine. It had been a rough day was the understatement of the year. She glanced at her police cap before pouring another dose of the amber liquid into her glass.   
  
She had just been suspended and lost probably the most important case of her career on the same day. Shit. She frowned as Luther got stuck. She went over and lifted the needle from the record player recklessly. She knew she should have gotten a CD player a long time ago.   
  
She sighed and slammed herself onto the couch. Her hat sat like a little child waiting to be disciplined. She picked it up and was about to throw it when a knock sounded.   
  
She cursed. She was entirely too tired, too drunk and having too bad of a day to be dealing with company.   
  
She peeked through the peephole and smiled. Well, at least she didn't feel like dealing with most company. She opened her door.   
  
"Hi, Joe."   
  
"Hey, Sheila. Thought you might want some company."   
  
"Yeah."   
  
He looked around her apartment and noticed the huge piles of papers and broken glass.   
  
"Everything okay here?"   
  
"Yeah," she smiled genuinely. "Just got a little upset thinking about the verdict. Have a seat."   
  
"Yeah, well I'm pretty upset about the verdict myself and I can't believe Bennett actually suspended us. Talk about the defense doing it's job, aye?"   
  
Sheila sighed," I just keep thinking about Angela's face. She looked petrified."   
  
"Sheila, don't."   
  
She looked at him. He had poured himself a glass of wine and was now casually sipping on it.  
  
"Don't what?"   
  
"Don't beat yourself up over this. We did what we thought was right."   
  
"I know, but I don't like the way Marcus was looking. He looked like he might try something else."   
  
"I know. We'll just have to hope we can protect them better if he does."   
  
"You mean when he does."   
  
"I don't know. Maybe the boy will get some help this time."   
  
Sheila joined Joe on the couch. "I hope so, but people like him rarely get rehabilitated because they like being the way they are."   
  
Joe scooted to sit directly beside Sheila. "Well, let's forget about the trial right now." He began to massage her neck. "Let's talk about us."   
  
Sheila gazed at him. That was what she was hoping to avoid. "What us?"  
  
"Aww, come on She'l, you can't deny what's been happening."   
  
"I'm not. I'm just not acknowledging it and neither should you. We're already in enough trouble."   
  
He caressed her cheek. "Yeah, but since we're in trouble we may as well get into more," he teased.   
  
Sheila almost laughed at his playfulness. She sighed and kissed him on the cheek. He was blushing a brilliant red, a shade as deep as a beet. She did laugh at this. Yeah, things were not right, but maybe, just maybe she could put this all behind her.   
  
Her mother always said that changes are just like shades of different colors.   
  
*****  
  
A/N: I hope I did well with the Law stuff, I'm not really knowledgeable about too much of it. I hope it all wasn't too cliché and I know some of you are like what? How could he get away with that? Two words... O.J Simpson. If you have money, your trial is just another thing to occupy yourself with (Although O.J didn't have that many witnesses, I figured that attacking a witness' credibility is almost as good as not having any). Sorry for the rant and I hope I don't offend anybody.   
  
Also some of this seems more descriptive than others and that's because I wrote the first half of this when I was very, very sleepy and the other when I was alert.   
  
Well, ladies and gentlemen, this is the end. The sequel "Blue Hues" is coming soon. And I already have a first chapter in mind so never fear. I also want to say thank you again. I just realized that I've written my first successful original characters (in a completed long form type of story). I had so much fun writing this last chapter and though I had a few troubled chapters and some I just didn't like, I ultimately feel connected to the characters.   
  
I hope you continue to enjoy the ride,  
  
crypticnotions. 


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